President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced $91 million in grants to 731 local programs to combat drug abuse, including $125,000 to the Prevention, Advocacy, Choices and Teamwork (PACT) Coalition in Las Vegas.

OxyContin pills are arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced $91 million in grants to 731 local programs to combat drug abuse, including $125,000 to the Prevention, Advocacy, Choices and Teamwork (PACT) Coalition in Las Vegas.

Jamie Ross, executive director of the PACT Coalition learned about the grant Wednesday. “We were thrilled,” Ross said of the federal funds, which the group will have to match.

The grant will fund a substance abuse prevention program at a local middle school. “The earlier you start experimenting with any kind of substance, the more likely you are to become an addict,” Ross said. According to a Nevada youth behavior survey, 11.3 percent of Nevada children have used marijuana by age 13.

According to Drug-Free Las Vegas, the mortality rate from opioid overdoses in Clark County was almost 70 percent higher than the national rate in 2017. According to a fact sheet, 72,000 Americans nationwide died from overdoses in 2017.

Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7391. Follow @DebraJSaunders on Twitter.