One of the state’s two top public health lawmakers told Mississippi Today he plans to take legislative action to ensure cities and counties spend opioid settlement money on addressing mental health, an issue he said was brought to light by the newsroom’s recent investigation.

In September, Mississippi Today revealed that of the over $15.5 million dollars local governments have received from corporations that helped catalyze an addiction epidemic that’s killed over 10,000 Mississippians, less than $1 million had been used to prevent more deaths. Spending on other purposes is allowed because Attorney General Lynn Fitch wrote a contract in 2021 that says towns, cities and counties can spend their settlement shares on any public purpose and don’t have to report what they do with the money.

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