Louisiana directs 20% of opioid settlement funds to sheriffs, who spend millions on police equipment
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KFF Health News investigated how Louisiana sheriffs used their share of opioid settlement money.
The state allocated 20% of the settlement payouts to the 64 elected sheriffs, the largest law‑enforcement carve‑out in the country.
According to responses gathered by reporters, sheriffs have spent millions on law‑enforcement gear rather than on addiction‑treatment programs, drawing criticism that the funds are being used as "blood money" instead of addressing the crisis.
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This writeup was produced by pharmadog from original reporting by STAT.
Original headline: “A state gave sheriffs 20% of its opioid settlement cash. We followed the money”
read at STAT ↗2,696 words · retrieved Aug 27
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