Obama says U.S. must tackle opioid drug abuse “epidemic”
President Barack Obama has vowed to federal programs to combat the "epidemic" of heroin use and prescription painkiller abuse across the country.
"This crisis is taking lives; it's destroying families and shattering communities all across the country," Obama said at a panel discussion on opioid drug abuse. "That's the thing about substance abuse; it doesn't discriminate. It touches everybody."