A portion of an opioid settlement will help the county’s Drug Court program.
Troy Smith, Drug Court director, and Chief Judge Dan Creitz told commissioners they want 31st Judicial District’s Drug Court program to use $28,000, the amount of the settlement allocated to Allen County, as part of a national settlement with opioid manufacturers.
They also plan to ask for another $200,000 from part of the state’s opioid settlement, and told commissioners it would be helpful if they could show a commitment by allocating the local money to the program.
Municipalities that have the most risk of drug addiction are given priority when applying for the settlement money, Smith said. Allen County is among the 25 counties at highest risk.
Smith told commissioners the Drug Court program’s funding varies from year to year and mostly relies on grants. Part of that money is used to pay for treatment programs for offenders who otherwise can’t afford it.
“There’s a huge need and the money is there and it will help us,” Creitz said.
Kansas legislators in 2003 passed a bill to provide funding for treatment for first-time drug offenders, but that amount has been reduced over time, shifting more costs to local programs.
Commissioners agreed it seemed a logical fit for the money and approved the request.
