Trump signs executive order to launch nationwide drug recovery initiative

US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order launching a nationwide effort to address drug addiction, announcing a government-wide programme to strengthen recovery, treatment, and prevention measures across the country.

Speaking from the Oval Office alongside Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump said the initiative would bring together efforts across federal, state and local governments as well as the private sector.

"The Great American Recovery Initiative will bring together federal, state, local and private sector resources to support addiction recovery, treatment and prevention, and it will help mobilize the full resources and authority of the federal government to help stop this tremendous plague," the president said.

According to a White House fact sheet, the order establishes a "White House Great American Recovery Initiative," which will advise federal agencies on directing grants to support addiction recovery and increasing awareness around drug dependence, while guiding departments on integrating programmes focused on prevention, early intervention, treatment, recovery support and re-entry.

The initiative will be co-chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kathryn Burgum, the spouse of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. A White House official said Kathryn Burgum, who has spoken publicly about her own recovery journey, was expected to attend Trump's announcement of the programme.

The move comes amid continued concern over overdose deaths in the US. CNN reported that fatalities surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, driven largely by fentanyl, although Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show deaths have declined since 2022 and recently returned to pre-pandemic levels. Despite the drop, more than 70,000 people in the US died from overdoses in the past year.

CNN also cited survey data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration showing that in 2024, around 17 per cent of Americans aged 12 and older -- more than 48 million people -- were living with a substance use disorder, a proportion that has remained relatively steady in recent years.

Federal funding for addiction recovery is overseen by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and earlier this month, the Trump administration reversed plans to cut approximately USD 2 billion from mental health and addiction treatment programmes administered by the agency.

Government figures cited by the White House showed that in 2024, more than 74 per cent of adults who believed they had problems with drugs or alcohol considered themselves to be in recovery or recovered. The data also indicated that among 40.7 million adults with a substance use disorder who did not receive treatment, 95.6 per cent did not recognise they needed help.

The administration said the initiative forms part of broader efforts to coordinate resources nationwide and strengthen public health responses, alongside a wider White House campaign targeting alleged drug trafficking networks in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.