American Indian Tribal Leaders Meet With Justice Department About Opioid Epidemic

The U.S. Justice Department is scheduled to meet with American Indian tribal leaders from northern New Mexico about the opioid epidemic, the Associated Press reports.

Opioid addiction has had a large impact on American Indian communities across the country, the article notes. A survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found use of heroin and OxyContin among American Indian students was about two to three times higher than the national averages from 2009 to 2012.

In Maine, a nonprofit prescription drug abuse prevention program is helping to make naloxone available to the state’s five Native American tribes. Through a federal grant, the program set up five clinics on tribal lands.