President Donald Trump previously announced his stance on combating opioid addiction in the U.S., and on Tuesday (Mar. 27), he took to Twitter to announce that he is “very pleased” to open the White House for an ode to opioid victims, Politico reports.
According to press secretary Sandra Huckabee Sanders, from Apr. 12-18 the White House’s Ellipse lawn will be filled with over 20,000 pills featuring the faces of prescription-drug overdose victims.
“I am very pleased to welcome the opioid memorial to the President’s Park in April. I encourage all to visit and remember those who we have lost to this deadly epidemic,” the President wrote. “We will keep fighting until we defeat the opioid crisis.”
I am very pleased to welcome the opioid memorial to the President’s Park in April. I encourage all to visit and remember those who we have lost to this deadly epidemic. We will keep fighting until we defeat the opioid crisis! https://t.co/ZM7AYJyECr
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2018
This news follows Trump’s visit to the opioid-ridden state of New Hampshire where he promised the crowd he will impose the death penalty on drug dealers as a solution to end the epidemic. This crisis reportedly claims close to 115 lives a day. According to USA Today, 64,000 people in America died due to an opioid addiction in 2016. In a statement made by Trump, he said, “No part of our society – not young or old, rich or poor, urban or rural – has been spared this horrible plague.”