Attorney General Jeff Sessions to visit Tallahassee, talk opioid epidemic

When U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions talks about the opioid epidemic in Tallahassee Thursday, observers hope the nation's top lawman will do more than talk tough about crime and punishment.

Leon County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, a board member of the National Association of Counties, said he hopes Sessions will focus on prevention instead of punishment to curb an epidemic of opioid abuse.

"We need to do a better job on the front end; working on the demand side not the supply side," said Desloge. "Addiction recovery and treatment is what we need to focus on. Incarceration is not the answer."

Death by an opioid overdose outnumbered the number of people who died in Florida automobile accidents in 2016, according to state and federal figures.

Sessions is expected to talk at the federal courthouse at 3:30 p.m. in the jury assembly room about the White House's response to the crisis in which thousands of people are dying daily from overdoses of prescription medications.

After his remarks, Sessions is not expected to take questions from the media, the Justice Department said in a release.

More on the opioid crisis:

Calhoun County, Panama City sue companies over opioid crisis

Gov. Rick Scott signs bill targeting opioid addiction in Florida

Congress prepares to take on opioid crisis amid evidence the epidemic is growing worse

Trump pushes death penalty for drug dealers: 'It's not about being nice anymore'

The visit comes days after President Donald Trump called for drug traffickers to get the death penalty. A prescription challenged by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"It costs less money to treat someone for addiction than it does to incarcerate a person on death row," observed Elizabeth Johnson, a SPLC spokeswoman. "Which taxes should state and local governments raise first to pay for the expensive, ineffective and inhumane plan."

During his Monday speech, Trump pledged to reduce over-prescription of opioids used to treat pain, research for less addictive painkillers and suggested the federal government may join state attorneys general in suing drug companies found to have used deceptive sales practices to push addictive medicines.

Nearly 64,000 opioid overdose deaths were recorded in the United States in 2016, the highest number recorded in a single year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in December.

Earlier this week, Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill designed to prevent patients from getting hooked on powerful opioids. Scott approved the measure as the state continues grappling with drug overdoses that have surged in recent years. The bill is designed, at least in part, to prevent patients from getting addicted to prescription painkillers and then turning to street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.



