A federal agency will award North Dakota $2 million to fight opioid abuse.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, allocated the funds to the Behavioral Health Division at the North Dakota Department of Human Services, according to a news release for U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. The funds were authorized through the 21st Century Cures Act, a bill supported by Hoeven and signed into law by President Barack Obama Tuesday.
"The recent increase in opioid overdoses has hit our state and its communities hard," Hoeven said in a statement. "Today's allocation from the Cures Act is part of our larger efforts to develop a comprehensive response to the opioid crisis."
The Cures Act provides $1 billion over a two-year period to help states across the country fight opioid addiction.
In North Dakota, opioid abuse, particularly fentanyl, has made headlines in recent years after reports of deaths and arrests, including through Operation Denial, an international drug investigation that has netted multiple suspects dealing drugs in the Midwest. The investigation began in Grand Forks and expanded with the help of state and federal agents.
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The Cures Act funds can support treatment and prevention activities and are made available through the State Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis Grants.
