Worsening opioid crisis overshadowed in presidential race

By FARNOUSH AMIRI and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The coronavirus outbreak and the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic have been a dominating theme in this year’s presidential race. That has overshadowed debate over how to handle the nation’s drug overdose crisis, which has contributed to the deaths of more than 470,000 Americans over the last two decades. The overdose death toll is only getting worse. It reached a new high of 71,000 in 2019, the vast majority related to opioids. Aside from a brief and heated exchange during the first debate, addiction has barely registered in the presidential race.