A container of naloxone nasal spray, which can reverse an opioid overdose, is on display at the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on September 8, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
KMUW reported last month that “ Opioid settlement money is meant to fight addiction, but Kansas gives a lot of it to police .”
This is harmful.
The story explained: “The money is part of national legal settlements against prescription opioid makers, distributors and pharmacies. The state of Kansas expects to receive more than $340 million over the next 18 years.”
It’s unfortunate that law enforcement programs receive money over chronically underfunded community-based organizations doing boots-on-the-ground prevention and harm reduction. This disbursement also goes against the recommendations of leading public health researchers, scientists, and clinicians, including those who wrote a Call to Action on Opioid Settlement Funds .
In Kansas , synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, were responsible for 56% of the state’s 738 drug overdose deaths in 2022, a significant increase from fewer than 10% of the 326 overdose deaths in 2017. Safe Streets Wichita has been integral in increasing the community’s access to free harm reduction kits that include naloxone and fentanyl test strips to combat the opioid epidemic.