Opioids

We’ll learn more about Kentucky’s new addiction prevention program.

After decades of devastating increases driven by fentanyl and other toxic street drugs, overdose deaths are dropping sharply in much of the U.S., including Ohio.

Ohio is getting more than a billion dollars in settlement money to compensate for the harm of opioids. The state is taking lessons from past mistakes with an even larger drug settlement decades ago.

An analysis by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that in most other states, people live longer.

Ohio and its communities are expected to receive about $2 billion from pharmaceutical companies over the course of 18 years to compensate for harm caused by opioids. But there's not much oversight over how the money will be spent.

Ohio's senior senator, Democrat Sherrod Brown, has been around a long time, and he knows that good legislation is good politics.

Agencies can apply for a portion of the $4.8 million administered by the OneOhio Recovery Foundation through May 3.

Butler is the largest county in its region and has seen the most overdoses and deaths from opioid use.

Overdose deaths peaked in 2017 in Hamilton County, and were down 31% from that peak last year.

How does the state plan to use the opioid settlement money to address its substance abuse crisis?