Hunter asking federal regulators for update in fight against opioid epidemic

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter is asking federal regulators for an update in the fight against opioid abuse.

In the letter, Hunter asks the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to provide a progress report on what actions the agency has taken to combat the opioid epidemic and what future actions are planned.

The letter was signed by a bipartisan coalition of 48 attorneys general.

“The additional powers granted to the FDA by Congress put the agency in a better position to help states fight the ongoing opioid epidemic,” Attorney General Hunter said. “With the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbating addiction and substance abuse across the nation, my attorneys general colleagues and I are requesting information on how officials are using their new authority now and how they plan to use it in the future. States and federal agencies must work together to simultaneously prioritize and stop both public health emergencies.”   

The letter states that since the pandemic began, overdoses have skyrocketed.

“While COVID-19 deserves the attention it is receiving, the raging opioid epidemic must also be addressed,” the letter reads. “The loss and sense of despair brought by COVID-19 may even be refueling the opioid epidemic as people look to escape their fear and anxiety about the uncertain future that the virus has created.”