Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, and Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, praised the Oversight Commission on Alabama Opioid Settlement Funds and its chairman, State Representative Rex Reynolds, R-Hazel Green, on Friday for a recent report that showed drug overdoses have fallen by 30 percent year-over-year across the state.
“These numbers demonstrate the results that can be achieved when the Alabama House and Senate target a problem and focus their joint efforts on resolving it,” Ledbetter and Gudger said. “Most important are the lives that have been saved and the families that have been spared a devastating loss because of the work this commission has accomplished and the funding it has provided.”
Since its formation in 2023, the commission has developed and implemented a statewide plan for the targeted investment of Alabama’s share of national opioid settlement funds.
“To be able to say that drug overdoses are down 30 percent year-over-year is a tremendous blessing and speaks to the impactful work of this commission,” Reynolds said. “Whether it be the 88,000-plus Naloxone kits distributed to first responders or the evidence-based programs the commission has funded, we are taking every possible step to protect communities and set struggling Alabamians on the road to recovery.”
Over the last three budget cycles, a total of $81 million has been appropriated in support of prevention, treatment and recovery programs.
Programs and initiatives made possible by the funding include:
- 88,000-plus Naloxone kits distributed to first responders
- 209 opioid prevention, treatment and recovery programs supported through the Alabama Department of Mental Health’s Community Provider Grant Program
- Expanded staffing and hours of operation for Alabama’s 988 Crisis Lifeline, leading to call centers posting a 90 percent answer rate for three consecutive months
- An interagency agreement establishing specialty courts with the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts
- A statewide opioid awareness and prevention marketing campaign named Opiods Take was launched in 2024 and has reached nearly 1.9 million Alabamians—roughly 36 percent of the state—through testimonial videos and display ads featuring real survivors
- 19 veteran pilot programs have been funded in accordance with a comprehensive plan developed by the Veterans Mental Health Steering Committee
