WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice announced Friday $58.8 million will be designated to strengthen drug court programs and address the opioid epidemic nationwide. United States Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman announced this includes $2.9 million in grant awards for the Southern District of Ohio.
Specifically, the Supreme Court of Ohio will be awarded $1 million for Data-driven Responses to Prescription Drug Misuse and approximately $700,000 for the Family Drug Court Statewide System Reform Implementation Program.
Approximately $400,000 in Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program funding each will be awarded to Franklin County and Hamilton County.
The Ohio State Board of Pharmacy will receive approximately $400,000 for the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Implementation and Enhancement Projects.
“The opioid-abuse crisis - both across the country and especially in this district - is one of the most significant public-safety and public-health issues of our lifetime," U.S. Attorney Glassman said. “The Department of Justice recognizes that enforcement alone cannot solve the problem. Prevention and treatment are equally important in making our communities safer, and that is what this funding focuses on."
In total nationwide, about $24 million in federal grants will be awarded to 50 cities, counties and public health departments to provide financial and technical assistance to state, local and tribal governments to create comprehensive diversion and alternatives to incarceration programs for those impacted by the opioid epidemic.
These funds, awarded under the Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program, also included funds from the Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. This program helps regulatory, law enforcement, and public health agencies address prescription drug and opioid misuse; reduce crime; and save lives.
An additional $3.1 million will be awarded by the National Institute of Justice for research and evaluation on drugs and crime. The research priorities are heroin and other opioids and synthetic drugs.
The Department is also awarding more than $22.2 million to 53 jurisdictions to support the implementation and enhancement of adult drug courts and Veterans Treatment Courts, which serve as “one-stop-shops" to link veterans with services, benefits and program providers.
Specific sites and funds awarded can be found online at: https://go.usa.gov/xRJWE.
The Department is also awarding more than $9.5 million under several Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention grant programs, including the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Grant Program and the Family Drug Court Statewide System Reform Implementation Program. These programs helps jurisdictions build effective family drug treatment courts.
Specific sites and funds awarded can be found online at: https://go.usa.gov/xRJDf.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
