Trump orders signal shift away from well-subscribed addiction recovery strategy
By Josh James
August 13, 2025 at 3:26 AM EDT
President Donald Trump has ordered that federal funding be steered away from addiction and recovery programs that advocate what's known as "safe consumption" or "harm reduction" — think needle exchanges or the distribution of overdose-reversing drugs. The order has led to some confusion on the front lines.
Harm reduction is a model that's taken root in most addiction recovery programs across the nation, with the core concept being that those seeking treatment need the transitional support if they're to ultimately get clean.
But the administration's argument is that harm reduction "facilitates illegal drug use" and could prolong addiction — a claim challenged by years of research.
Over the last three years, overdose deaths declined in Kentucky with a more than 30% decrease in 2024 compared with the previous year. So news of the executive order had advocates such as Billy O'Brien, the Kentucky program manager for Young People in Recovery, worried.
"When that executive order first came out, it was very vague. And my organization, myself, and the other ones were kind of freaking out and going, oh my gosh, what are we gonna do? Is this gonna affect us?" O'Bryan told Spectrum News.
O'Brien says he was relieved to find that the order did not prohibit federal funding for fentanyl testing strips or naloxone, also called Narcan, a drug that rapidly restores normal breathing to those overdosing from opioids.
While officials tout the number of treatment beds in Kentucky, the federal administration's funding priorities are raising concerns across the country that — with less support for harm reduction, an ongoing need for more treatment facilities, and pressure to crack down on outside encampments — the options for those working to overcome addiction are shrinking.
But the administration's argument is that harm reduction "facilitates illegal drug use" and could prolong addiction — a claim challenged by years of research.
Over the last three years, overdose deaths declined in Kentucky with a more than 30% decrease in 2024 compared with the previous year. So news of the executive order had advocates such as Billy O'Brien, the Kentucky program manager for Young People in Recovery, worried.
"When that executive order first came out, it was very vague. And my organization, myself, and the other ones were kind of freaking out and going, oh my gosh, what are we gonna do? Is this gonna affect us?" O'Bryan told Spectrum News.
O'Brien says he was relieved to find that the order did not prohibit federal funding for fentanyl testing strips or naloxone, also called Narcan, a drug that rapidly restores normal breathing to those overdosing from opioids.
While officials tout the number of treatment beds in Kentucky, the federal administration's funding priorities are raising concerns across the country that — with less support for harm reduction, an ongoing need for more treatment facilities, and pressure to crack down on outside encampments — the options for those working to overcome addiction are shrinking.