Opioid Settlements

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.

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.

Dr. Arwen Podesta (left), Pineville Mayor Joseph Bishop (center) and Dr. Peter Croughan (right), of Louisiana’s Opioid Abatement Task Force, view data from the Louisiana Opioid Surveillance Program in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. The state saw a 31% decrease in drug-involved overdose deaths from 2023 to 2024.

Public Health

Louisiana is seeing a steep decline in drug overdose deaths, state data show

Drew Hawkins

An expert with the Louisiana Opioid Surveillance Program says that the decrease in deaths coincides with an increase in treatment and harm reduction.

Christina Dent, founder of End it for Good, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for drug policy reform in Mississippi, discusses her book “Curious: A Foster Mom's Discovery of an Unexpected Solution to Drugs and Addiction” at Mississippi Public Broadcasting in Jackson, Mississippi on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.

Public Health

Q&A: How a conservative Mississippi mom became an advocate for legalizing drugs

Drew Hawkins

Christina Dent talks about founding End It For Good, her journey to rethinking drugs and addiction and how Mississippi can change its approach, too

Julius, one of Suzanne Smith’s people, sits by his encampment with his plants in Birmingham, Alabama.

Public Health

‘Where’s Jeff?’: Unhoused and struggling with opioid addiction in Alabama

Drew Hawkins

As Alabama decides how to spend its opioid settlement funds, a good samaritan spends her free time helping “her people” who struggle with addiction.

Jeff and Donna Standridge enjoy a spaghetti dinner with one of their grandsons at Locust Grove Baptist Church in New Market, Alabama, on August 22, 2024.

Public Health

‘A dream come true’: Alabama ‘grandfamilies’ are set to receive opioid settlement funds

Drew Hawkins

The new state program— the first of its kind in the U.S. — will give $280,000 from opioid settlement funding to grandparents raising their grandchildren.