ST. PAUL, MN – Minnesota has been awarded $5.4 million in federal grants to combat opioid addiction in the state. The Opioid State Targeted Response Grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will help increase access to treatment, reduce unmet need, and reduce overdose-related deaths in Minnesota.

 

“Since 2000, deaths from opioid overdoses have increased by 430 percent in Minnesota. While the makers of these prescription painkillers are making billions in profits, Minnesotans are dying and our public health system is overwhelmed by the demands for prevention, treatment and recovery,” said Lt. Governor Tina Smith. “Minnesota is taking some important first steps, but we need to do more. This new federal funding will help us in our fight against opioid addiction. But we need to take action in Minnesota, this legislative session, to help to the hundreds of Minnesotans who need it.”

 

Nationally, since 2000, deaths from opioid overdoses have increased 200 percent. In Minnesota, opioid deaths have increased 430 percent over the same period, disproportionately affecting women and Native Americans. An estimated 80 percent of Americans addicted to heroin started out taking prescription-pad medications. 

 

Earlier this month, Minnesota joined a new national partnership with seven other states through the National Governors Association (NGA, to develop and implement strategies to expand access to opioid addiction treatment. And last fall, Gov. Mark Dayton and Lt. Governor Tina Smith partnered with Minnesota’s 11 tribal nations to convene the Tribal-State Opioid Summit, to develop strategies for prevention, treatment and recovery. The 2017 Tribal-State Opioid Summit Report recommends a number of strategies to address the issue of opioids in Minnesota, including strengthening partnerships between tribes, the state, and the federal government; supporting cultural engagement and other culturally-focused services; and improving treatment and prevention efforts throughout the state.

 

Opioid deaths have increased 430 percent in Minnesota since 2000. Eighty percent of Americans addicted to heroin started out taking prescription pain medications. Governor Dayton’s budget, An Opportunity Agenda for a Better Minnesota, would hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for their role in the epidemic by increasing the fee on these prescriptions and then investing the $42 million generated to prevent and treat opioid addiction and abuse. Governor Dayton’s Opportunity Agenda also includes funding to improve statewide tracking of overdoses in Minnesota so law enforcement and health officials can respond more quickly and effectively. Governor Dayton’s budget would also invest $4 million for Minnesota’s Tribal Nations and urban American Indian communities to fund prevention programs to reduce opioid abuse.