Opioid Epidemic

How are Louisiana sheriffs spending opioid settlement funds? We decided to find out

Drew Hawkins, Katie Jane Fernelius (Verite News), Alena Maschke (The Current)

Sheriffs receive 20% of Louisiana’s opioid settlement money but are not required to report how they spend those dollars. Records reveal how 43 offices are spending their share.

A sign displays the images of people who died from fatal opioid overdoses in Mississippi at Black Balloon Day in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Friday, March 6, 2026

Public Health

Mississippi lawmakers veer away from recommendations for nearly $60M in opioid settlement funds

Drew Hawkins

Lawmakers adjusted funding amounts, added organizations that had not been vetted and gave themselves broader authority over how the money could be spent.

Rep. Jeffrey Hullum III, a Democrat who represents Gulfport and Harrison County, stops at the listening station set up by the Gulf States Newsroom at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi, on Thursday, March 12, 2026.

Public Health

The opioid crisis ruined their lives. We brought their voices to the Mississippi Capitol

Drew Hawkins

The Gulf States Newsroom traveled across Mississippi and collected 219 written responses from people with lived experience of addiction.

A sign reads “Addiction is a Disease” in James Moore’s bike shop in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on January 28, 2026. Moore, whose son died from a fentanyl overdose, was part of the advisory council that made recommendations for spending opioid settlement funding to the state legislature.

Public Health

As Mississippi waits to spend opioid settlement funds, children and families suffer

Drew Hawkins

Mississippi will receive more than $400M to fight the opioid epidemic. So far, officials haven't directed it toward programs that support addiction recovery.