City of Jonesboro issued the following announcement on Oct. 7.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said her office has been in the fight in nationwide opioids lawsuits and she announced $216 million for Arkansas and its cities and counties.
“We want to use this money to save lives,” she said.
Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver and Police Chief Rick Elliott said the opioids epidemic has left no family undamaged in northeast Arkansas and appreciates the work that has led to this settlement.
“Together we can fix a problem that is community wide, but also very personal to all of us,” Copenhaver said.
Arkansas Municipal League Executive Director Mark Hayes, a Jonesboro native who lost a child to drug addiction, said that this is a battle that is being fought with more than money and pervades all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
“Our first responders have been dealing with this for years and are dealing with some very different issues in modern illicit drug issues,” Copenhaver said. “I want every dime dedicated to preventing future overdoses and deaths, and lead to a better future for our community.”
Drug overdoses have created more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past decade.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Jonesboro
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