10/02/18
Former Fox News host Eric Bolling called on President Trump and Congress to focus on the recovery side of opioid addiction in an interview that aired Tuesday on “Rising.”
Bolling has been working with the White House on combating the opioid crisis since his son died of an overdose last year.
“They were very strong on the enforcement side of it, and what I wanted to stress with the president, and I think they’re moving in that direction is that they also have to treat the recovery side of it as well,” Bolling told Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball on Monday.
“Removing the stigma side as well, so the personal side of it, not just the drug dealers and the Chinese fentanyl coming over, but also let’s treat people,” he continued.
“And also, some of the money. Spend it on beds. There’s a massive, massive demand for people who are overdosing, who need help,” he said.
The Senate last month passed a package of 70 bills aimed at combating the epidemic.
The Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act, or STOP Act, a major component of the package, would crack down on the shipment of deadly, synthetic opioids into the U.S. from other countries.
But advocates have argued that more money needs to be aimed at treatment.
“I’ve worked with President Trump on his opioid awareness push, and it started out a little slow, let’s be honest, and it’s getting stronger,” Bolling said. “I’m going to meet with him again very soon, within the next maybe 10 days or so.”
— Julia Manchester
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