Skip to main content
Sunday, November 15, 2026Nov 15
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

In rare show of unity, governors vow to fight opioid crisis

In this Thursday, July 7, 2016, photo, Gov. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., speaks during an interview in her office in Concord, N.H. In her state of the state address last February, Hassan announced an $8 million initiative to provide skills training, transportation and other services to help low-income people find better paying jobs. But repeated delays from a legislative committee that holds power of the purse means the program is still months away from getting off the ground, if it ever starts at all. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
In this Thursday, July 7, 2016, photo, Gov. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., speaks during an interview in her office in Concord, N.H. In her state of the state address last February, Hassan announced an $8 million initiative to provide skills training, transportation and other services to help low-income people find better paying jobs. But repeated delays from a legislative committee that holds power of the purse means the program is still months away from getting off the ground, if it ever starts at all. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

By Associated Press 4 min read

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Nearly every U.S. governor pledged Wednesday to combat the opioid crisis that is leaving a trail of overdose deaths and misery in their states.

At least 45 state governors signed on to the Compact to Fight Opioid Addiction committing to fight the epidemic, fueled by the overprescribing of prescription pain relievers.

The National Governors Association released the compact ahead of its summer meeting, which starts Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa. On Friday, governors are expected to hear from experts about the crisis and further discuss how they are responding.

The compact calls on the governors to stop the inappropriate prescribing of painkillers, raise awareness about the problem and encourage treatment and recovery for those already addicted.

Roughly 78 Americans die every day from overdoses of opioids, including prescription pain relievers, heroin and fentanyl, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The number of such deaths has nearly quadrupled since 1999 and accounted for six in 10 overdose deaths in 2014, which was the highest on record. The amount of prescription opioids – such as oxycodone and methadone – sold in the U.S. also nearly quadrupled during that 15-year period. Addictions to those drugs then have many users turn to heroin, which is cheaper.