Opioids

Members of the Statewide Council on Opioid Abatement said they have raised questions about the spending for more than a year but have received no answers, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

A new AI-powered tech is showing law enforcement and public health leaders dangerous drugs entering their communities and predicting the drug wave.

Local governments received millions for addiction treatment, recovery and prevention. Their 2024 spending was sometimes surprising or controversial. A KFF database documents 10,500+ decisions.

A year after Fort Walton Beach launched the POST program, Police Chief Robert Bage tells commissioners that Okaloosa is no longer among the top seven Florida counties for opioid deaths.

The compound 7-hydroxymitragynine is extracted from Kratom leaves. One key difference is that 7-OH products are more similar to prescription opioids like morphine.

A free recovery program has helped 400 people find hope and cut overdose deaths by 68 percent in just two years.

Experts say several things could be driving the decline. They include increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, expanded addiction treatment and shifts in how people use drugs.

COVID relief is drying up and DOGE has thrown into question once-reliable federal funding, leaving many states hunting for alternatives to maintain crucial services. Opioid settlement money can seem like an attractive option.

The money will pay for efforts to prevent and treat opioid addiction, or fund services that help people in recovery.

The deal represents an increase over a previous settlement rejected by the Supreme Court because it protected members of the wealthy Sackler family from civil lawsuits even though they were not in bankruptcy.

Attorney General Ashley Moody wanted the Florida Supreme Court to resolve a legal battle about whether local agencies could pursue lawsuits after she reached settlements with the pharmaceutical industry.

More than 1 million Americans use Medicaid to get addiction treatments like methadone. But as states update their systems, some patients have lost coverage. Even a short gap can be life-threatening.