This week, Gov. Jim Justice announced five new appointments to the West Virginia First Foundation, the private foundation responsible for the statewide distribution of opioid settlement funds.

Advocates are calling for the money to be used for medication for addiction treatment and harm reduction services - such as needle exchanges, naloxone, and overdose prevention centers.

Mary Newlyn, executive director of the West Virginia Hope in Action Alliance, said expanding housing and wraparound support services for people who use drugs and people with drug-related convictions, would help stabilize communities and families.

She pointed out most substance-use disorder funding is not funneled toward those types of supports.

"Once a person has reached a state of sobriety, they need community support and access to the healthy coping techniques they obtained during treatment," Newlyn explained. "These communities are built in transitional and recovery housing."

According to the Office of Drug Control Policy there were at least 1,300 drug overdose deaths in West Virginia in 2020, a 51% increase compared to 2019. This year, there have been more than 5,000 reported EMS responses for suspected overdoses.

Tricia Christensen, director of policy for the nonprofit Community Education Group, said states should be thinking creatively about how to best use the funding to help stem the tide of substance abuse. She pointed to mental health resources, youth prevention programs and community programs focused on forging a life in recovery.

"How do we invest in our communities to really think about opportunities for kids as they're growing older?" Christensen asked. "Opportunities for those kids' parents now, right? Because we know that this is a generational issue."

The Mountain State has received an estimated $847 million from lawsuit payouts involving major pharmacy chains, drug manufacturers, drug distributors, and pharmaceutical consulting firms.This week, Gov. Jim Justice announced five new appointments to the West Virginia First Foundation, the private foundation responsible for the statewide distribution of opioid settlement funds.

Advocates are calling for the money to be used for medication for addiction treatment and harm reduction services - such as needle exchanges, naloxone, and overdose prevention centers.

Mary Newlyn, executive director of the West Virginia Hope in Action Alliance, said expanding housing and wraparound support services for people who use drugs and people with drug-related convictions, would help stabilize communities and families.

She pointed out most substance-use disorder funding is not funneled toward those types of supports.

"Once a person has reached a state of sobriety, they need community support and access to the healthy coping techniques they obtained during treatment," Newlyn explained. "These communities are built in transitional and recovery housing."

According to the Office of Drug Control Policy there were at least 1,300 drug overdose deaths in West Virginia in 2020, a 51% increase compared to 2019. This year, there have been more than 5,000 reported EMS responses for suspected overdoses.

Tricia Christensen, director of policy for the nonprofit Community Education Group, said states should be thinking creatively about how to best use the funding to help stem the tide of substance abuse. She pointed to mental health resources, youth prevention programs and community programs focused on forging a life in recovery.

"How do we invest in our communities to really think about opportunities for kids as they're growing older?" Christensen asked. "Opportunities for those kids' parents now, right? Because we know that this is a generational issue."

The Mountain State has received an estimated $847 million from lawsuit payouts involving major pharmacy chains, drug manufacturers, drug distributors, and pharmaceutical consulting firms.

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

After they were long considered paraphernalia, fentanyl test strips are now officially legal in Indiana.

According to recent data, fentanyl is responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths in the state. Until this month, if someone was found with the lifesaving strips, it would be up to the local prosecutor to decide if they would face charges for violating the state's paraphernalia laws.

A bipartisan effort changed that reality by passing House Enrolled Act No. 1167.

"Any resident should and can access test strips," Director of Harm Reduction at Overdose Lifeline Breanna Hicks said. "Our former paraphernalia law said that anything that tests the 'presence, efficacy or effectiveness of a substance, an illicit substance,' could be considered paraphernalia. So, while fentanyl test strips only test for presence, that was a gray area in law in jurisdictions across Indiana."

Local harm reduction organizations say the law fueled fear for people hoping to distribute the strips. The concern prompted them to push for change.

"There's this false narrative that access to test strips are going to encourage substance use or encourage drug use, in general, especially to populations that are younger," Hicks said. "However, that's just not true, harm reduction is a proven practice that allows for individuals to make healthier and better decisions."

Hicks says the strips can be used to test drugs purchased off the street.

When the small strips are submerged in water, they can detect the synthetic drug in 30 seconds to two minutes. According to the Marion County Coroner, the drug was found in over 90% of opioid overdoses in Indianapolis last year.

"Fentanyl overdoses are now the number one cause of death for anybody age 18 to 45," Hicks said. "Indiana falls in that range as well, to where we're seeing fentanyl being the most prevalent cause of accidental overdose death."

Overdose Lifeline is one of the organizations distributing the test strips. To request strips, click here.


Kyla Russell wrote this article for WISH-TV.


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Kentucky's latest drug overdose fatality report showed a drop in deaths and for the first time, a decline in deaths among Black Kentuckians.

Groups across the Commonwealth have been working to increase access to harm reduction services.

Latosha Perry, executive director of the Louisville-based nonprofit EmpowHer with Open Arms, said her organization provides prevention services to adolescents as well as group and individual therapy for adults who are typically required to be in therapy in order to see their children.

"Some struggling with addiction or just now coming out of incarceration, they don't have the money to cover those expenses," Perry explained. "It typically decreases the rate of them reunifying with their family."

Overdose deaths in the Commonwealth decreased for the third year in a row, with a slightly more than 30% decrease in 2024, compared with the previous year. Still, more than 1,400 Kentuckians died of a drug overdose.

Ashley Smith, founder and executive director of the nonprofit agribusiness Black Soil Kentucky, said her organization has distributed Narcan units and provided training to farmers so they are equipped to act as first responders.

"We have worked to pair education outreach and technical assistance with direct produce distributions across rural and urban communities," Smith pointed out.

Both organizations received grant funding from the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky for their harm reduction efforts.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, call 833-8KY-HELP (833-859-4357) to get assistance connecting with a treatment center. Information about treatment programs is available at FindHelpNowKy.org, and information about how to obtain naloxone is available at FindNaloxoneNowKy.org.


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With less than a week in the legislative session, Nevada lawmakers are considering a bill which would change the state's laws for driving under the influence.

Senate Bill 304 would eliminate the threshold of offenses for driving under the influence prosecutors need to charge someone with vehicular homicide. Current law mandates a person have three prior DUI offenses within a seven-year period before they can be charged with vehicular homicide on a fourth offense that results in death.

According to state data, half of deadly crashes on Nevada roads are caused by drunken drivers.

Sandy Heverly, cofounder and executive director of the nonprofit Stop DUI, said she believes the bill could help save lives.

"Why are we giving these people three chances to kill us?," Heverly asked. "We've reached a point where the penalty for the crime should, and must, outweigh the risks these drunken fools are willing to take."

The bill would not only allow charges on the first deadly DUI offense but the person could face more time behind bars. Some public defenders oppose the legislation, saying state law is already tough enough on people charged with DUI. They want more training for alcohol servers and providers to prevent incidents in the first place. The bill was heard in committee last week.

Alyssa Belle Yabut is the eldest daughter of Nevada State Police Trooper Alberto Felix. Felix and Nevada Highway Patrol Sergeant Michael Abbate were killed by an impaired driver while they assisted another driver in 2023. Yabut said DUIs not only take lives, they shatter families.

"Every holiday, every birthday and every ordinary day, we feel his absence," Yabut explained. "Unjustly, under the current Nevada law, that driver could not be charged with vehicular homicide because he didn't have three prior DUIs."

Yabut said she wants the bill to be a turning point for Nevada. Critics warned the bill could lead to steep financial implications for the state and perhaps significantly increase the state's prison population.


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