{"id":2102815,"date":"2025-11-03T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/?post_type=article&#038;p=2102815"},"modified":"2025-11-03T09:47:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T14:47:38","slug":"opioid-settlements-law-enforcement-spending-states-towns-guns-narcan","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/opioid-settlements-law-enforcement-spending-states-towns-guns-narcan\/","title":{"rendered":"From Narcan to Gun Silencers, Opioid Settlement Cash Pays Law Enforcement Tabs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<aside class=\"block--sidebar alignright \">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kaiser-health-news-partner block--partner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"partner__image--link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"partner__image\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/CBS-hi-res-logo.png?w=120\" alt=\"Partner logo\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"partner__content\">\n\t\tThis story also ran on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\">CBS News<\/a>. It can be <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/opioid-settlements-law-enforcement-spending-states-towns-guns-narcan\/view\/republish\/\">republished for free<\/a>.\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kaiser-health-news-promo is-style-default block--type--promo-block alignnone has-eyebrow\"><div class=\"promo-block--image\"><a class=\"promo-block--link\" href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/tag\/opioid-settlements\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/Jacqueline-Lewis_3840x2560web.jpg\" alt=\"An older woman sits in a darkened room and is illuminated by light through a window.\" data-id=\"1684164\" data-size=\"medium\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"promo-block--inner\"><div class=\"promo-block--eyebrow\">More from This Investigation<\/div><h3 class=\"promo-block--title\"><a class=\"promo-block--link\" href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/tag\/opioid-settlements\/\">Payback: Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash<\/a><\/h3><p class=\"promo-block--excerpt\">Opioid manufacturers and distributors are paying more than $54 billion in restitution to settle lawsuits about their role in the overdose epidemic, with little oversight on how the money is spent. We\u2019re tracking how state and local governments use \u2014 or misuse \u2014 the cash.<\/p><a class=\"promo-block--read-more promo-block--link\" href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/tag\/opioid-settlements\/\">Read More<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>In the heart of Appalachia, law enforcement is often seen as being on the front line of the addiction crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bre Dolan, a 35-year-old resident of Hardy County, West Virginia, understands why. Throughout her childhood, when her dad had addiction and mental health crises, police officers were often the first ones to respond. Dolan calls them &#8220;good men and women&#8221; who &#8220;care about seeing their community recover.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But she&#8217;s skeptical that they can mitigate the root causes of an addiction epidemic that has racked her home state for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Most of the busts that go down are addicts,&#8221; she said \u2014 people who need treatment, not prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dolan&#8217;s father was one of them. And so was she.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now 14 years into recovery, she&#8217;s been surprised to see many local officials spending opioid settlement money \u2014 an influx of cash from companies accused of fueling the overdose crisis \u2014 on police Tasers, cruisers, night vision gear, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;How is that really tackling an issue?&#8221; Dolan said. \u201cHow will it help families battling addiction?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"509\" height=\"905\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_02.jpg\" alt=\"A woman with glasses and dark hair looks at the camera in a selfie.\" class=\"wp-image-2104684\" style=\"width:350px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_02.jpg 509w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_02.jpg?resize=84,150 84w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_02.jpg?resize=281,500 281w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_02.jpg?resize=120,213 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_02.jpg?resize=170,302 170w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_02.jpg?resize=300,533 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_02.jpg?resize=500,889 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_02.jpg?resize=315,560 315w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 509px) 100vw, 509px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bre Dolan is in recovery and works as an EMT in West Virginia. She says police officers in her area are good people, but she doesn&#8217;t think spending opioid settlement money on Tasers or guns is effective in combating intergenerational addiction. She&#8217;d rather the money go to hiring social workers or building family recovery programs.<span class=\"photo-credit\">(Bre Dolan)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Nationwide, more than $61 million in opioid settlement funds were spent on law enforcement-related efforts in 2024, according to a yearlong investigation by KFF Health News and researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Shatterproof, a national nonprofit focused on addiction. That included initiatives that public health experts largely support, such as hiring social workers to accompany officers on overdose calls, as well as actions they&#8217;re more skeptical of, such as beefing up police arsenals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over nearly two decades, state and local governments are set to receive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opioidsettlementtracker.com\/globalsettlementtracker\">more than $50 billion<\/a> in opioid settlement money, which is intended to be used to fight addiction. The settlement agreements even <a href=\"https:\/\/nationalopioidsettlement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Final-Distributor-Settlement-Agreement-3.25.22-Final-Exhibit-C-as-of-5.27.22-Exhibit-G-and-I-as-of-02.22.23.pdf#page=115\">outlined suggested uses<\/a> and established other guardrails to limit unrelated uses of the funds \u2014 as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tobaccofreekids.org\/what-we-do\/us\/statereport\/\">happened with<\/a> the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement of the 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there\u2019s still significant flexibility with these dollars, and what constitutes a good use to one person can be deemed waste by another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cedarrecovery.com\/dr-stephen-loyd\/\">Stephen Loyd<\/a>, an addiction medicine doctor who was once addicted to opioids and has served as an expert in several opioid lawsuits, some law enforcement expenses fall into that second category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.azag.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-03\/FY2024%20REGION%20REPORT.xlsx\">Drones<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.gov\/opioidfunds\/documents\/reports\/2024-counties\/2024Gloucester%20County.pdf#page=27\">police officer salaries<\/a> are not \u201cin the spirit of what we wanted to use the money for when we were fighting for it,\u201d Loyd said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople died for this money. Families were torn apart for this money. And to not spend it to try to make our system better, so that people don&#8217;t have to experience those losses going forward, to me, is unconscionable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of this investigation, KFF Health News and its partners compiled the most comprehensive national database of opioid settlement spending to date, featuring more than 10,500 examples of how the money was used (or not) last year. The team filed public records requests, scoured government websites, and extracted expenditures, which were then <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/opioid-settlement-2024expenditures-methodology.pdf\">sorted into categories<\/a>, such as treatment or prevention. The findings include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"block--sidebar alignright \">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"has-eyebrow is-style-classic  wp-block-kff-common-promo\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-common-promo__image\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"wp-block-kff-common-promo__link\" href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/opioid-settlements-addiction-sock-hops-concerts-mma-local-spending\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2039430217_3840x2560web.jpg?w=500\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Two people dancing with their arms in the air at an outdoor concert.\" \/>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-common-promo__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-kff-common-promo__eyebrow\">Related Coverage<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"wp-block-kff-common-promo__title\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wp-block-kff-common-promo__link\" href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/opioid-settlements-addiction-sock-hops-concerts-mma-local-spending\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\tSock Hops and Concerts: How Some Places Spent Opioid Settlement Cash\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"wp-block-kff-common-promo__read-more wp-block-kff-common-promo__link\" href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/opioid-settlements-addiction-sock-hops-concerts-mma-local-spending\/\">Read More<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nearly $2.7 billion \u2014 that\u2019s the amount states and localities spent or committed in 2024, according to public records. The lion\u2019s share went to investments addiction experts consider crucial, including about $615 million to treatment, $279 million to overdose reversal medications and related training, and $227 million to housing-related programs for people with substance use disorders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Smaller, though notable, amounts funded law enforcement initiatives \u2014 such as creating a shooting range and tinting patrol car windows \u2014 and prevention programs that experts called questionable, such as putting on a fishing tournament.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some jurisdictions paid for basic government services, such as firefighter salaries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The money is controlled by different entities in each state, and about 20% of it is untrackable through public records.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This year\u2019s database, including the expenditures and untrackable percentages, should not be compared with the one KFF Health News and its partners <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/opioid-settlement-funds-detailed-database-state-county-city-spending\/\">compiled last year<\/a>, due to <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/opioid-settlement-2024expenditures-methodology.pdf\">methodology changes<\/a> and state budget quirks. The database cannot present a full picture because some jurisdictions don\u2019t publish reports or delineate spending by year. What\u2019s shown is a snapshot of 2024 and does not account for decisions in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, the database helps counteract the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlightpa.org\/news\/2024\/06\/pennsylvania-opioid-settlement-board-secret-meetings-lawmaker-challenge\/\">secrecy among some of those<\/a> in charge<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotlightpa.org\/news\/2024\/06\/pennsylvania-opioid-settlement-board-secret-meetings-lawmaker-challenge\/\"><\/a> of settlement money <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/state-opioid-settlement-funds-transparency-update\/\">and confusion<\/a> among those <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/opioid-settlement-fund-council-meetings-public-comment-closed\/\">tracking it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed alignwide\" data-src=\"visualisation\/24479687\">\n\t\t<script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>\u2018How My Population Would Like Me To Vote\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dolan has seen intergenerational addiction up close. When her father was high, he sometimes kicked teenage Dolan out of the house with her toddler siblings. She started drinking early and progressed to other drugs, eventually landing in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although she managed to find recovery on her own, even landing a job as an EMT, she wants to make the path easier for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If settlement money were used to hire social workers or build family recovery programs, it could change the course of a kid\u2019s life, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMaybe people could have helped my dad get into recovery and gave him therapy,\u201d she said. \u201cAnything could have happened.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But many local officials say law enforcement is one of the few tools they have, especially in rural areas. And their constituents believe it\u2019s effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf the goal was treatment and prevention, it would have been better to throw [the money] into a big grant system and give it to treatment centers,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/oakhillwv.gov\/administration\">Cris Meadows<\/a>, city manager of Oak Hill, West Virginia, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25997819-west-virginia-local-govt-osf-reports-july-11-2025\/#document\/p43\">paid more than $67,000<\/a> for a drone and surveillance cameras for its police department. \u201cUnfortunately, local governments are really not set up to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div\n\tclass=\"wp-block block--newsletter  \"\n\tdata-type=\"kaiser-health-news\/newsletter\"\n\tdata-align=\"center\"\n\tstyle=\"\"\n>\n\t<h4 class=\"newsletter__title\">\n\t\t<a href=\"\/email\/\">\n\t\t\tEmail Sign-Up\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/h4>\n\t<p class=\"newsletter__description\">\n\t\tSubscribe to KFF Health News&#039; free Morning Briefing.\t<\/p>\n\t\n<form\n\taction=\"\/email-signup\/\"\n\tclass=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form\"\n\tmethod=\"post\"\n>\n\t<input type=\"hidden\" id=\"kaiser_hubspot_nonce\" name=\"kaiser_hubspot_nonce\" value=\"9a9925ea75\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/2102815\" \/>\t\t\t\t<label\n\t\tclass=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form__label--email\"\n\t\tfor=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form-email\"\n\t>\n\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\n\t\t\tYour Email Address\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<input\n\t\t\tautocomplete=\"email\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form__input--email\"\n\t\t\tid=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form-email\"\n\t\t\tname=\"kaiser_hubspot_email\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"email\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tplaceholder=\"Your email address\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\/>\n\t<\/label>\n\t<button class=\"kaiser-hubspot-mini-signup-form__submit\">\n\t\tSign Up\t<\/button>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Clarkdale, Arizona, Town Manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarkdale.az.gov\/directory.aspx?EID=32\">Susan Guthrie<\/a> said her town bought <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azag.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-03\/FY2024%20REGION%20REPORT.xlsx\">nearly $15,000 worth of drones<\/a> because they help with enforcement \u2014 such as recording crime scenes and conducting search-and-rescue operations \u2014 as well as education, when officers interact with kids at community events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similar perspectives nationwide have led to spending that includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>About <a href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/recovery\/settlement\/#:~:text=2024%20report%20here.-,To%20see%20how%20each%20local%20unit%20of%20government%20reported%20their%20use%20of%20settlement%20funds%2C%20click,-here.\">$12,000 for rifle suppressors<\/a> (also known as silencers) in Alexandria, Indiana.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>About <a href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/recovery\/files\/Attachment-A-Local-Units-of-Government-Report.xlsx\">$21,000 for Tasers<\/a> in Mooresville, Indiana.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>About <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25997819-west-virginia-local-govt-osf-reports-july-11-2025\/#document\/p71\">$49,000 to replace outdated body cameras<\/a> and Tasers in Hardy County, West Virginia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25997819-west-virginia-local-govt-osf-reports-july-11-2025\/#document\/p55\">$70,000 in Lewisburg, West Virginia<\/a>, to add a police officer to the county\u2019s drug task force, replace that officer locally, buy guns and vehicles, and tint car windows.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Several elected officials said their choices reflect local politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"block--sidebar alignright \">\n\t\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kaiser-health-news-promo is-style-default block--type--promo-block alignnone\"><div class=\"promo-block--inner\"><h3 class=\"promo-block--title\"><a class=\"promo-block--link\" href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/share-your-opioid-settlement-story-with-us\/\">Share Your Story<\/a><\/h3><p class=\"promo-block--excerpt\">Do you have concerns about how your state or locality is using the opioid settlement funds? Are they doing something effective that other places should replicate? Tell us here.<\/p><a class=\"promo-block--read-more promo-block--link\" href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/share-your-opioid-settlement-story-with-us\/\">Share Your Story<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s \u201chow my population would like me to vote,\u201d Hardy County Commissioner <a href=\"http:\/\/hardycounty.com\/hardy-county-commission\">Steven Schetrom<\/a> said of his commission\u2019s goal to spend about a quarter of its settlement money on law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mooresville Town Council President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mooresville.in.gov\/elected-officials\/\">Tom Warthen<\/a> told KFF Health News, \u201cPeople have petitioned our government for less taxes but have never petitioned for less services\u201d from the local police force. With federal and state budget cuts looming, the town must be resourceful, he said, adding that the Tasers were bought with a portion of settlement funds that have no restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After these purchases, an Indiana commission <a href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/recovery\/files\/State-Recommendations-for-Use-of-Settlement-Funds.pdf#page=4\">issued a list<\/a> of law enforcement equipment that it cautioned against buying with restricted settlement dollars. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhcs.ca.gov\/Documents\/CSD\/Law-Enforcement-Expenses-with-OSF-Fact-Sheet.pdf\">California<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abilenecityhall.com\/DocumentCenter\/View\/4893\/Kansas-MFAF-Guide-to-Strategic-Opioid-Settlement-Allocation-PDF\">Kansas<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oaa.virginia.gov\/media\/governorvirginiagov\/oaa\/applications\/Position-on-Gold-Standard-LE-and-EMS-Usage.pdf\">Virginia<\/a> have released similar lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Research backs those restrictions. Studies have shown that drug busts and arrests can <a href=\"https:\/\/ajph.aphapublications.org\/doi\/10.2105\/AJPH.2023.307291\">exacerbate the overdose crisis<\/a>. Officers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7475730\/\">responding to overdoses<\/a> often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0376871622003088\">arrest people<\/a>, making people who use drugs <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/34461411\/\">fearful of calling 911<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0955395923002074\">seeking treatment<\/a> through police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast, equipping police officers with overdose reversal medications has been <a href=\"https:\/\/harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12954-022-00682-w\">shown to save lives<\/a>. That\u2019s a key component of <a href=\"https:\/\/lbb.texas.gov\/Documents\/GAA\/General_Appropriations_Act_2024_2025.pdf#page=461\">an $18 million effort<\/a> in Texas, the state with the highest percentage of reported law enforcement spending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed\" data-src=\"visualisation\/24479030\">\n\t\t<script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>Police and Firefighter Salaries<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some places used settlement funds to maintain basic first responder services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Mantua Township, New Jersey, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.gov\/opioidfunds\/documents\/reports\/2024-counties\/2024Gloucester%20County.pdf#page=27\">used about $79,000<\/a> to \u201coffset police salary and wages\u201d and, according to its public spending report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.gov\/opioidfunds\/documents\/reports\/2024-counties\/2024Gloucester%20County.pdf#page=29\">plans to do so annually<\/a>. Township officials did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Los Angeles County <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25901285-california-los-angeles-county-23-24-osf-report-09-18-24\/#document\/p12\">allocated $1 million<\/a> to cover a portion of firefighter salaries and benefits last year and estimates it will use another $1 million this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>County fire department spokesperson Heidi Oliva said opioid funds were used to fill a budget gap until revenue kicked in from a <a href=\"https:\/\/fire.lacounty.gov\/measure-e\/\">new tax voters approved<\/a> last November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The use of funds was \u201cappropriate,\u201d she said in an email, because \u201cthe opioid crisis presents a significant burden to EMS response, from dispatch through arrival at hospitals, clinician mental health\/burnout, and a variety of other factors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg\" alt=\"A man wearing a collared shirt and tie speaks from behind a lectern.\" class=\"wp-image-2104690\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg?resize=500,281 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg?resize=1270,714 1270w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg?resize=120,68 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg?resize=170,96 170w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg?resize=315,177 315w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg?resize=630,354 630w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_01.jpg?resize=1200,675 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Daniel Busch is chair of the FED UP! Coalition, a national advocacy organization representing many parents who\u2019ve lost children to addiction. Settlement dollars are \u201cthe only financial representation from the governments and from the drug companies\u201d of families\u2019 losses, he says. To see that money used for basic government services, like police and firefighter salaries, instead of new services, is \u201cpainful\u201d and \u201cdistressing.&#8221; <span class=\"photo-credit\">(FED UP! Coalition)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Using opioid money to replace other revenue is <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/opioid-settlement-money-controversy-replacement-funds-budget-supplantation-addiction-services\/\">legal in most places<\/a>. But it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/opioidprinciples.jhsph.edu\/spend-the-money-to-save-lives\/#:~:text=Use%20the%20dollars%20to%20supplement%20rather%20than%20supplant%20existing%20funding.\">considered bad practice<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to see this money used to make up for stuff that would be paid for anyway,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/feduprally.org\/committee-members\/\">Daniel Busch<\/a>, chair of the FED UP! Coalition, a national advocacy organization representing many parents who\u2019ve lost children to addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Settlement dollars are \u201cthe only financial representation from the governments and from the drug companies\u201d of families\u2019 losses, Busch said. To see that money used to maintain the status quo is \u201cpainful\u201d and \u201cdistressing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed alignwide\" data-src=\"visualisation\/25708461\">\n\t\t<script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Busch fears this practice will <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/nevada-governor-budget-tanf-opioid-settlement-funds-supplantation\/\">become more common<\/a> as states grapple with federal budget cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Already in New Jersey, lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/newjerseymonitor.com\/2025\/06\/30\/critics-accuse-new-jersey-legislators-of-stealing-opioid-settlement-funds\/\">allocated $45 million<\/a> in settlement funds to health systems to cushion against anticipated Medicaid losses \u2014 a move opposed by the state\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NewJerseyOAG\/status\/1939668345810235869\">attorney general<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/26125760-nj-opioid-settlement-council-letter-opposing-money-to-hospitals\/\">opioid settlement advisory council<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/insidernj.com\/public-health-leaders-condemn-new-jersey-legislatures-diversion-of-45-million-in-opioid-settlement-funds-to-hospitals\/\">advocates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, some states are taking proactive steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Colorado <a href=\"https:\/\/coag.gov\/app\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Supplantation-is-Not-an-Approved-Purpose-for-Opioid-Settlement-Funds.pdf\">released guidance<\/a> this year against such actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese dollars can&#8217;t be part of budget games where we simply backfill existing programs,\u201d state Attorney General Phil Weiser told KFF Health News. \u201cWe have to build on whatever we\u2019re doing because it hasn\u2019t been enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other states, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainelegislature.org\/LawMakerWeb\/summary.asp?ID=280095663\">Maine<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/mgaleg.maryland.gov\/2025RS\/chapters_noln\/Ch_690_hb0798T.pdf\">Maryland<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.legislature.ky.gov\/record\/25rs\/hb537.html\">Kentucky<\/a>, are newly requiring local governments to report how they spend the money, which may make it easier to spot disputed practices. Officials in Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Missouri said they expect to revamp their public reporting systems to increase transparency by early 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"flourish-embed\" data-src=\"visualisation\/24845186\">\n\t\t<script src=\"https:\/\/public.flourish.studio\/resources\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>In Mississippi, which produced no substantive public reports last year, the attorney general\u2019s office has <a href=\"https:\/\/attorneygenerallynnfitch.com\/opioid-settlement-fund-advisory-council\/\">set up a website<\/a> that will host spending information after Dec. 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jennifer Twyman is anxious to see some positive changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_03.jpg\" alt=\"Two women wearing t-shirts reading Vocal Kentucky stand behind a table with with various papers and pens on it.\" class=\"wp-image-2104692\" style=\"width:400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_03.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_03.jpg?resize=113,150 113w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_03.jpg?resize=375,500 375w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_03.jpg?resize=120,160 120w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_03.jpg?resize=170,227 170w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_03.jpg?resize=300,400 300w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_03.jpg?resize=500,667 500w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_03.jpg?resize=315,420 315w, https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/11\/Expenditures2024_03.jpg?resize=630,840 630w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jennifer Twyman (left) struggled with opioid misuse for 20 years and now works with the advocacy organization Vocal-KY to end homelessness, mass incarceration, and the war on drugs. To her, any spending that doesn\u2019t directly help people with addiction betrays the purpose of opioid settlement money.<span class=\"photo-credit\">(Vocal-KY)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have people literally dying on our sidewalks,\u201d said the Louisville, Kentucky, advocate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Twyman struggled with opioid misuse for 20 years and now works with <a href=\"https:\/\/vocal-ky.org\/about-us\/\">Vocal-KY<\/a> to end homelessness and the war on drugs. To her, any spending that doesn\u2019t directly help people with addiction betrays the settlement\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is the blood from many of my friends, people that I care deeply about,\u201d she said. \u201cThat money could have been me, could have been my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Read <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/opioid-settlement-2024expenditures-methodology.pdf\">the methodology<\/a> behind this project.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>KFF Health News\u2019 Henry Larweh; Shatterproof\u2019s Kristen Pendergrass and Lillian Williams; and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health\u2019s Abigail Winiker, Samantha Harris, Isha Desai, Katibeth Blalock, Erin Wang, Olivia Allran, Connor Gunn, Justin Xu, Ruhao Pang, Jirka Taylor, and Valerie Ganetsky contributed to the database featured in this article.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.jhu.edu\/\"><em>Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health<\/em><\/a><em> has taken a leading role in providing guidance to state and local governments on the use of opioid settlement funds. Faculty from the school collaborated with other experts in the field to create <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/opioidprinciples.jhsph.edu\/\"><em>principles for using the money<\/em><\/a><em>, which have been endorsed by over 60 organizations.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shatterproof.org\/\"><em>Shatterproof<\/em><\/a><em> is a national nonprofit that addresses substance use disorder through distinct initiatives, including advocating for state and federal policies, ending addiction stigma, and educating communities about the treatment system.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Shatterproof is partnering with some states on projects funded by opioid settlements. KFF Health News, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Shatterproof team that worked on this report are not involved in those efforts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Local governments have received hundreds of millions of dollars from the opioid settlements to support addiction treatment, recovery, and prevention efforts. Their spending decisions in 2024 were sometimes surprising and even controversial. Our new database offers more than 10,500 examples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2104671,"template":"","meta":{"_cr_original_post":"","_cr_replace_post_id":"","_cr_replacing_post_id":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"kff_featured_video":0,"kff_show_featured_video":false,"kff_show_mute_audio_button":false,"custom_shortlink":"\/MjEwMjgxNQ","kaiser_health_news_byline_override":"","kaiser_health_news_can_republish":true,"kaiser_health_news_featured_image_caption":"","kaiser_health_news_header_overlay_color":"","kaiser_health_news_header_theme_slug":"","kaiser_health_news_hero_image":0,"kaiser_health_news_backdrop_padding":115,"kaiser_health_news_hide_partner":false,"kaiser_health_news_kicker":"Payback: Tracking Opioid Cash","kaiser_health_news_kicker_background_color":"#a6e66d","kaiser_health_news_kicker_text_color":"#222","kaiser_health_news_kicker_url":"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/tag\/opioid-settlements\/","kaiser_health_news_nav_theme_slug":"compact","kaiser_health_news_nav_transparency":false,"kaiser_health_news_sharing_title":"","kaiser_health_news_show_featured_image":true,"kaiser_health_news_subheadline":"","kaiser_health_news_suppress_kicker":false,"kaiser_health_news_suppress_subheadline":false,"kaiser_health_news_update_time":"","kaiser_health_news_vertical_image":0,"kaiser_health_news_title_align_left":false,"kaiser_health_news_custom_header_image":0,"photo_byline":[],"story_update":"","update_position":"bottom","kaiser_syndication_sites":[],"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-11-03T10:14:23Z","apple_news_api_id":"0a114f3f-77b7-4512-8d02-8eb0af5f51c1","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-11-03T14:47:46Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AChFPP3e3RRKNAo6wr19RwQ","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":["https:\/\/news-api.apple.com\/sections\/20265c01-23d7-4d15-96e0-0691b89c3772"],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[439525024,5004,439525647,439525648,4755,28006,10314551,439528530,31304,36835],"tags":[24592,439528958,180,3426,14042,35717,439524369,14041,59349,36448,28049,22627,59351,28577,22720,439529251,439524244,303271783,1575,1834,439524082],"primary-topic":[],"partners":[439525973],"funder":[439528999,439525512,439528750],"coauthors":[439527768],"class_list":["post-2102815","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-graphics","category-mental-health","category-midwest-bureau","category-mountain-states-bureau","category-multimedia","category-public-health","category-rural-health","category-southern-bureau","category-states","category-syndicate","tag-arizona","tag-california","tag-colorado","tag-delaware","tag-hawaii","tag-indiana","tag-investigation","tag-kansas","tag-kentucky","tag-maine","tag-maryland","tag-massachusetts","tag-mississippi","tag-missouri","tag-new-jersey","tag-opioid-settlements","tag-opioids","tag-substance-misuse","tag-texas","tag-virginia","tag-west-virginia","partners-cbs-news","funder-helmsley-charitable-trust","funder-missouri-foundation-for-health","funder-robert-wood-johnson-foundation"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>From Narcan to Gun Silencers, Opioid Settlement Cash Pays Law Enforcement Tabs - KFF Health News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Local governments have received hundreds of millions of dollars from the opioid settlements to support addiction treatment, recovery, and prevention efforts. Their spending decisions in 2024 were sometimes surprising and even controversial. Our new database offers more than 10,500 examples.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/opioid-settlements-law-enforcement-spending-states-towns-guns-narcan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Narcan to Gun Silencers, Opioid Settlement Cash Pays Law Enforcement Tabs - KFF Health News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Local governments have received hundreds of millions of dollars from the opioid settlements to support addiction treatment, recovery, and prevention efforts. Their spending decisions in 2024 were sometimes surprising and even controversial. 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