Article snippet: President Trump called the opioid epidemic the "worst drug crisis" to strike the U.S. in its history on Thursday while declaring a public health emergency. "Nobody has seen anything like this going on now. As Americans, we cannot allow this to continue," Trump said at a White House ceremony alongside advocates and his wife, Melania. "It is time to liberate our communities from this scourge of drug addiction. ... We can be the generation that ends the opioid epidemic. We can do it," he said to long, thunderous applause. It could spur a fight for funding in Congress, as Senate Democrats introduced a bill yesterday to put $45 billion toward the epidemic. Many Republicans also back much more funding to combat the scourge. Trump said his administration would put "lots of money" toward coming up with nonaddictive painkillers. Still, the administration had sought to slash funding for the National Institutes of Health by $5.8 billion, a request rebuffed by members of Congress— where the agency receives bipartisan backing. Trump said the administration will also launch an advertising campaign "to get people, especially children, not to want to take drugs in the first place." "They will see the devastation and the ruination it causes to people and people's lives,” he pledged. Trump also mentioned a new policy to help overcome a statutory hurdle that bars Medicaid from paying for some residential treatment facilities, which advocates have wanted. The opioid crisis has hit ... Link to the full article to read more