LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The federal Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded Arkansas $4 million in grants to help combat the opioid epidemic.

Arkansas Rural Health Partnership, Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, Center for Arkansas Legal Services and Legal Aid of Arkansas each received $1 million in funding for drug-abuse prevention, treatment and recovery services in the region.

Tom Engels, administrator with the HRSA, said it's critical that people seeking treatment for addiction have resources available to them -- even in the midst of a global public health crisis.

"Because of COVID, we've had a lot of individuals that have not been able to get access to their care or access to their health care professionals to talk about the problems they're having and their treatment issues," Engels said.

According to 2018 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of the state's 444 reported drug overdose deaths involved opioids. There are some early reports the coronavirus pandemic is contributing to a recent spike in overdose deaths nationwide.

Engels said the funds will allow for expanded tele-health services for substance-abuse treatment.

"And through a tele-health system, a patient can have a chance to talk to a doctor, talk to a health-care professional and get the counseling that they might need as they are dealing with addiction issues," he said.

And he noted the effort is part of a nationwide push to support treatment and recovery centers during the pandemic. Engels said this year his agency has awarded $89 million to communities.

"So there's two different funding sources that we announced: one is through the rural communities' opioid response program, and the other one is through our opioid impact and families support program," Engles said

Experts say COVID-19-related social isolation, job loss and stress can lead to increases in substance misuse, addiction, and relapse. Residents seeking help with substance abuse can call the Arkansas Mental Health and Addiction Support Line at 1-844-763-0198.


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In Robeson County, the opioid crisis is exposing the need for increased addiction support. The Southeastern Prevention and Addiction Recovery Resource Center is tackling the issue by bringing together more than 70 organizations into a unified recovery network.

Jackie Davis, SPARC director, says its goal is to streamline services and improve access to comprehensive support.

"Robeson County has a high rate of usage, and so one of the main challenges has been services and then organizations and agencies working in silos," Davis said.

She added that before SPARC, local agencies were isolated in their efforts. Now with funding and support in part from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trusts, she said community-based initiative is fostering cooperation to better serve the people of Robeson County, with plans to secure ongoing funding and improve access to care.

Davis said SPARC provides critical resources such as training, educational support and help securing opioid settlement funds. She said these efforts have improved patient care and developed long-term recovery strategies tailored to the community's needs.

"Health disparities here, we just want to reduce or even eliminate if we can, because we know that there are major differences from rural areas to urban areas or larger cities, and we just want better for our community," she said.

She noted that future goals include addressing transportation barriers to ensure access to services and ensuring sustainability through continued funding and support for member organizations.

By Adam Pinsker for WISH-TV.
Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Service Collaboration

THC retailers across Indiana are being warned they could be violating Indiana law by selling cannabis products containing more than 0.3% of the chemical Delta-9, which can have an intoxicating effect and may cause some side effects.

Although no Indiana law regulates Delta-9, the Indiana Attorney General's Office issued an opinion in 2023 defining Delta-8 and Delta-10 as Schedule I drugs.

Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt says violators could be charged with a high-level felony.

"I personally felt the fair way to deal with this was to send a letter to all the businesses and advise them of the attorney general's ruling, and to give them some time to get these products off their shelves," the prosecutor based in Terre Haute said.

Modesitt estimates from 30 to 40 retailers in the county along I-70 on the Illinois border - many of them gas station convenience stores - are in violation.

"We've actually had our drug task force, since I've sent this letter, going around checking businesses," he said.

Modesitt said until state lawmakers pass legislation clearly defining how much cannabis can be sold in Indiana, he'll have to enforce the laws based on the attorney general's opinion.

Indiana State Police investigators secretly bought THC products and found some of them were mislabeled. In other cases, they found Delta-9 products had more than the 0.3% of THC allowable under a federal law passed in 2018.

State officials and CBD retailers have also expressed concerns that some THC products may have chemicals added to them.

Scott Hughes, co-owner of WildEye Lounge dab bar in Indianapolis, said he and his business partner, Nick Brown, test all of their cannabis products. "To show there is no heavy metals, to show there is no pesticides in the product, which we do regularly with all of our products before we release them."

Hughes urges customers to do their homework before purchasing any CBD product.

"You're not going to go to your mechanic to ask why your knee hurts. You're not going to go to your doctor to ask what is wrong with your car," Hughes said.


Adam Pinsker wrote this article for WISH-TV.


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President Joe Biden is urging stricter penalties for drug smugglers to combat the fentanyl crisis nationwide. Meanwhile, North Carolina District Attorneys are focusing on local strategies to address the epidemic's effects in their communities.

In 2023 alone, an average of 12 people died every day from overdoses, according to North Carolina's Chief Medical Examiner.

Jeff Nieman, district attorney for Orange and Chatham counties, emphasizes the urgent need for action.

"What I see with fentanyl is a drug that accelerates the addictiveness and deadliness of substance use disorder," Nieman explained.

He argued there is a critical need for comprehensive strategies combining prevention, enhanced treatment options, and robust community support. On a federal level, the President will ask Congress for tougher penalties on drug traffickers and more regulations on substances related to fentanyl.

Todd Williams, district attorney for Buncombe County, echoes the need for a comprehensive approach. For him, it means intercepting fentanyl at the community level and holding traffickers accountable, while also expanding recovery services. Williams said he has already seen positive effects in his county through drug treatment courts.

"The program set up to provide for multiple chances at recovery," Williams emphasized. "All while ensuring that the offender is very well supervised and supported, and is not reoffending; not committing new crimes."

Both district attorneys touted the progress North Carolina has made, from creating a Fentanyl Task Force and passing an anti-money-laundering statute, to securing opioid settlement funds through Attorney General Josh Stein's office. Nieman stressed the measures are critical for supporting community efforts.

"He brought over $1 billion into the state of North Carolina," Nieman noted. "That's North Carolina in general, but the way that the settlement is structured, so that money is brought down to the local community, so that local leaders can decide how best to use that money to combat the crisis. That's key for us."

The Biden-Harris administration is also launching an "information partnership" with financial institutions, law enforcement and national security officials to crack down on drug trafficking and disrupt their means of financing.


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