MONTGOMERY, Ala. – House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter and Senate President Pro Tem Garlan Gudger are lauding a new report showing drug overdoses in Alabama have fallen by 30% over the last year.
On Friday, the Oversight Commission on Alabama Opioid Settlement Funds met for its quarterly update when its chairman, Rep. Rex Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, shared news of the dramatic drop in overdoses.
“To be able to say that drug overdoses are down 30% year-over-year is a tremendous blessing and speaks to the impactful work of this commission,” Reynolds said in a news release. “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.”
According to the Speaker’s office, a total of $81 million from the commission has been appropriated in support of prevention, treatment, and recovery programs.
In a joint statement, Ledbetter and Gudger praised Reynolds and the commission for its work.
“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.”
According to Ledbetter’s office:
- 88,000-plus Naloxone kits have been distributed to first responders;
- 209 opioid prevention, treatment and recovery programs have been supported through the Alabama Department of Mental Health’s Community Provider Grant Program;
- Staffing and hours of operation have been expanded for Alabama’s 988 Crisis Lifeline, leading to call centers posting a 90% answer rate for three consecutive months;
- An interagency agreement established specialty courts with the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts;
- A statewide opioid awareness and prevention marketing campaign named Opioids Take was launched in 2024 and has reached nearly 1.9 million Alabamians—roughly 36% of the state—through testimonial videos and display ads featuring real survivors; and
- 19 veteran pilot programs have been funded in accordance with a comprehensive plan developed by the Veterans Mental Health Steering Committee.