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Justice Deptartment Spending Nearly $60 Million to Combat Opioid Epidemic

INJOThe U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday that it would unleash $58.8 million in federal grant dollars to combat what Attorney General Jeff Sessions referred to as “the deadliest drug crisis in American history.”

The bulk of the money, roughly $44 million, will go to local governments to help divert those affected by the opioid epidemic from entering prison, as well as alternatives to incarceration — $22.2 million of that funding will fund jurisdictions with drug courts and Veterans Treatment Courts.

In a statement, Sessions conveyed the urgency of the drug crisis facing Americans and that addressing the opioid epidemic would be a “top priority” for the Trump administration. "This is an urgent problem and we are making it a top priority,” he said.

“These trends are shocking and the numbers tell us a lot — but they aren’t just numbers. They represent moms and dads, brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends," Sessions added.

Read the full story on IJR.com


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