Title: Background information

Context:
The increasing use of opioids, as well as the accompanying rise in morbidity and mortality associated with opioid use, has garnered increasing attention from federal and local officials as well as other policy makers. This public health issue, which has been labeled an epidemic,  became a focus of the President’s  National Drug Control Strategy in 2010 and has since remained a focus. Two main goals introduced in the  2010 strategy included curtailing illicit drug consumption in America and improving the health and safety of the American people by reducing the consequences of drug abuse. The 2015 strategy, and an accompanying presidential memorandum on preventing prescription drug abuse and heroin use, released in October 2015, encouraged the improvement of health and safety using evidence-based methods by calling for change in a number of key areas including preventing drug use in communities, seeking early intervention opportunities, and integrating SUD treatment and supporting recovery.

Question: What has accumulated growing attention from federal and local officials as well as other policymakers?

Answer: The increasing use of opioids, as well as the accompanying rise in morbidity and mortality associated with opioid use