The Obama administration plans to allocate $53 million to 44 states to support the fight against opioid addiction, reported The New York Times.
The funding aims to reduce over-prescribing pain killers, increase access to treatment and expand availability of the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said.
The Obama administration says the new opioid bill signed into law in July, which authorized $181 million in funding, did not offer enough access to treatment. The administration is urging Congress to provide an additional $1.1 billion to help fight opioid abuse.