Mississippi cities and counties, lacking state guidance, spend millions of opioid settlement dollars on general expenses

For the past three years, 147 towns, cities and counties have controlled millions of Mississippi opioid settlement dollars meant to address the overdose epidemic.

However, elected officials have been much more likely to spend the money on routine government expenses than on addressing addiction, a Mississippi Today investigation found. And they are doing so legally: Attorney General Lynn Fitch allowed them to spend these dollars on any public purpose rather than addressing the public health catastrophe that’s killed over 1,300 Mississippians since the state received its first lawsuit check.

Mississippi Today filed public records requests with all cities and counties that have received National Opioid Settlement dollars to learn how much money each has received and spent. Of the over $15.