“Millions of Americans are currently addicted to opioids or other substances.” — Donald Trump. Our verdict: Unverified.
President Trump made the claim on 26 October 2017 while announcing that the opioid crisis was a national public health emergency, in remarks published by the White House.
Our verdict
Unverified
We could not confirm or refute the claim that millions of Americans are currently addicted to opioids or other substances. Official national surveys do track substance use disorders, but the specific figures needed to test the 'millions' threshold were not available in the material we reviewed.
Know something that settles it? Send us evidenceWhat we found
The claim was made by President Trump on 26 October 2017, when he declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. In his remarks, published by the White House, he said that more than 11 million Americans abused prescription opioids. That transcript confirms what he said, but it is not independent proof of how many people were addicted at the time.
Official national estimates do exist. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration publishes the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which measures substance use and substance use disorders across the United States. The 2016, 2017 and 2018 reports all cover this ground, and later reports continue the series.
However, the extracts we reviewed did not include the specific national count of people with opioid or other substance use disorders. Without that number, we cannot say whether it runs into the millions. We also note that 'abuse' and 'addiction' are not the same thing, which makes the claim harder to pin down. For these reasons, our verdict is unverifiable.
The evidence
5 of 6 sources support the claim; none contradict it.
- Background
The White House transcript records President Trump saying that more than 11 million Americans abused prescription opioids. This shows what he said, but it is not independent statistical proof of the number of people addicted. [1]
- Supports the claim
The 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health provides official national estimates for substance use disorders in the United States. [2]
- Supports the claim
The 2017 annual national report summarises national indicators for substance use disorders. [3]
- Supports the claim
The 2016 survey report shows that the government publishes annual, nationally representative data on substance use and substance use disorders, which is the official source for prevalence estimates. [4]
- Supports the claim
The 2017 survey releases cover national estimates of substance use and substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder, for the civilian population aged 12 and over. [5]
- Supports the claim
The 2018 annual national report contains national estimates of substance use and substance use disorders, which can be used to assess how many Americans are affected. [6]
What we could not confirm
- The exact national count of people with opioid or other substance use disorders in 2017 was not available in the material we reviewed.
- The difference between 'abuse' and 'addiction' or 'substance use disorder' was not fully resolved by the sources we saw.
How we checked
We looked at the White House transcript of the speech and at official national survey reports from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which publish estimates of substance use and substance use disorders in the United States. We could not find the specific national count needed to confirm or refute the claim, so we invite readers who have that evidence to send it to us. We reviewed 7 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov · Remarks by President Trump on Combatting Drug Demand and the Opioid Crisis – The White House · October 26, 2017
- [2]samhsa.gov · 2017 NSDUH Detailed Tables | CBHSQ Data · September 14, 2018
- [3]samhsa.gov · 2017 NSDUH Annual National Report | CBHSQ Data · September 14, 2018
- [4]samhsa.gov · Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health · September 1, 2017
- [5]samhsa.gov · 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Releases | CBHSQ Data
- [6]samhsa.gov · 2018 NSDUH Annual National Report | CBHSQ Data · August 20, 2019
- [7]Original statement · Speech · October 26, 2017
Help us check this claim
We could not find enough public evidence to confirm or refute this claim. If you know of an official record, dataset, transcript or report that settles it, send us the link. We review every submission and update this fact check when the evidence changes the picture.
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