Obama to participate in Atlanta summit on prescription drug abuse

President Barack Obama will headline a prescription drug abuse summit in Atlanta on March 29 aimed at developing new guidelines for prescribing pain medications.

The White House said Tuesday that Obama will speak at the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit, which is billed as the largest gathering of professionals and advocates involving prescription drug abuse and heroin abuse.

The Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week issued new recommendations for primary care providers, who account for nearly half of all opioid prescriptions, to crack down on potential abuse. The White House also sent letters to every governor urging more state involvement in “turning the tide” of the drug and heroin epidemic.