White House announced $1.5 billion to help with substance abuse

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The White House is taking steps it said it hopes will help combat the country’s drug problem.

Officials announced nearly $1.5 billion will be used to fight substance abuse. The grants will be used to fund prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction services.

Just over $100 million is earmarked for expansion in rural communities.

The Biden administration is also planning to host a National Recovery Month Summit that will celebrate those who are recovering from substance abuse.

Officials said the U.S. has seen 108,000 fatal drug overdoses over the past 12 months. That breaks down to one death every five minutes.

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