OBAMA TO PITCH PROGRAM TO COMBAT DRUG ABUSE

President Obama said Wednesday that the government and the public must work together to confront an epidemic of drug abuse that is claiming more and more lives.

Heroin and prescription drugs are primary culprits in a crisis that has hurt and killed Americans from all walks of life, Obama said during an anti-drug event in Charleston, W.Va.

Obama outlined a plan that includes better training for doctors and other health care professionals to handle drug abusers and easier access for treatment. The administration is also launching a media advertising campaign designed to make people aware of the dangers of heroin and abuse of prescription drugs.

— David Jackson