New strategy urgently needed to tackle devastating opioids crisis, US told

Bipartisan commission makes 76 recommendations to confront crisis that has caused 1m overdose deaths since 1999

The US urgently needs a smarter, multi-pronged strategy and cabinet-level leadership to tackle an escalating overdose epidemic which poses an unacceptable threat to national security and the economy, a bipartisan congressional commission has found.

The long-awaited report by the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking calls for a major shift in policy to combat rising fatal overdoses, with much greater focus on reducing demand through public health measures.