"This money is what we have to save lives." – Danny Bolner Jr., Jefferson Parish resident and father of a fentanyl overdose victim, expresses concern over opioid settlement funds being used for law enforcement equipment instead of vital addiction recovery programs.
A collaborative investigation by KFF Health News and three Louisiana news outlets – The Current, Gulf States Newsroom, and Verite News – has revealed a significant trend in how Louisiana sheriffs are allocating funds received from nationwide opioid settlements. While states across the U.S. are receiving payouts from pharmaceutical companies accused of fueling the overdose crisis, Louisiana stands out by directing the largest portion of these funds to law enforcement. Specifically, 20% of the settlement money is designated for sheriffs, a carve-out that critics argue is being used for equipment and technology rather than directly addressing the addiction crisis that generated the funds. This investigation, which involved extensive public records requests and direct outreach to all 64 sheriffs, provides the first comprehensive look at how these millions are being spent, sparking debate about the intended purpose of the settlement money and its most effective allocation.
Every state in the nation is now receiving payouts from legal settlements with companies responsible for the proliferation of prescription painkillers that led to widespread addiction and overdose deaths. However, Louisiana has implemented a unique statewide policy, dedicating 20% of these settlement funds directly to its sheriffs. This represents the most substantial allocation for law enforcement nationwide, raising questions about the balance between public safety and public health initiatives in combating the opioid epidemic. In Louisiana, sheriffs are independently elected officials with autonomous budgets, and they are not mandated to publicly disclose their spending of these substantial settlement funds. This lack of transparency makes it challenging for the public and oversight bodies to track the allocation of these resources, often referred to by affected families as "blood money," which they believe should be exclusively dedicated to mitigating the addiction crisis.
The investigative effort, spanning five months, saw KFF Health News and its Louisiana partners contact all 64 sheriffs, employing public records requests where necessary, to compile a detailed accounting of millions spent. The findings highlight a divergence in how these funds are being utilized across the state, with some sheriffs prioritizing equipment and surveillance technologies, while others are directing funds towards treatment and community support programs.
The broader national conversation surrounding the use of opioid settlement money has been ongoing since these funds began flowing significantly in 2022. As the total settlement amounts, including the $7.4 billion bankruptcy settlement from Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, continue to grow and are expected to be distributed for over a decade, various government agencies and private entities are vying for access to this substantial pool of funding. Law enforcement agencies argue that their efforts to combat drug trafficking and make arrests are crucial in saving lives, and these operations require significant financial resources that the addiction crisis has strained. However, many recovery advocates strongly oppose any diversion of these funds to what they perceive as the ineffective "war on drugs," advocating instead for investments in prevention, treatment, and harm reduction.
Without stringent federal or state regulations dictating the precise use of these funds, the allocation decisions often reflect the local perspectives on addiction and the preferred strategies for combating it. Louisiana’s approach, by directly channeling a significant portion of the funds to elected sheriffs, presents a real-world case study on how these priorities manifest when local law enforcement leaders are empowered with considerable financial discretion. The state’s agreements with parishes and sheriffs permit broad categories of spending, including "law enforcement expenditures relating to the opioid epidemic." However, experts in addiction and public health argue that even legal expenditures may not be the most appropriate or effective use of these funds.
Danny Bolner Jr., a Jefferson Parish resident who has been in recovery for over two decades and lost his son to a fentanyl overdose, expressed strong reservations about sheriffs using settlement money for equipment. "What’s happening here is they have a lot of money and they want to distribute it to all the wrong places," Bolner stated, representing the perspective of families affected by the crisis. He believes the funds should be invested in youth education on emotional well-being, job training for individuals in recovery, and the distribution of overdose reversal medications. Bolner emphasized the finite nature of these funds, warning that their misallocation would leave fewer resources to save lives.
Tricia Christensen, a public health policy analyst and expert on opioid settlements, who served on a review panel for the expenditures, noted that effective use of these funds should facilitate arrests or prevent overdoses. "The impetus of this opioid settlement money is to spend on innovative ways to not let this happen again," she said, referencing the more than one million lives lost to the overdose crisis since 2000. Christensen suggested that sheriffs should be considering how to reinvest in communities rather than solely building up their own departments.
Many of the equipment purchases made by sheriffs did not meet the review panel’s criteria. For instance, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office acquired a safe for evidence storage related to opioid investigations and a scanner for its traffic division to detect narcotics concealed within vehicles. The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office allocated $465,000 towards Flock cameras, a system of automated license plate readers that collect data on passing vehicles and share it nationally with law enforcement. The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office purchased 130 body cameras and 50 dash cameras. Christensen and other reviewers pointed out that sheriffs already receive public funding and federal grants for such law enforcement tools, and opioid settlement funds, which are finite and earmarked for a specific purpose, should not be used for these standard operational expenses. Some states have explicitly prohibited such expenditures.
Kevin Cobb, executive director of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association, countered that taxpayer money may not cover all the necessary equipment for sheriffs, stating, "Our budgets are overloaded." Casey Rayborn Hicks, spokesperson for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, explained in a statement that complex investigations into drug trafficking syndicates require advanced equipment. She argued that while treatment and recovery services are vital, they address the consequences of addiction after drugs have entered the community. Law enforcement, she added, has the equally essential responsibility of preventing these deadly substances from reaching potential victims. First Lt. Blake Tabor, a spokesperson for the Terrebonne Sheriff’s Office, echoed this sentiment, stating their primary focus is disrupting the criminal activity that fuels addiction.
However, not all sheriffs have prioritized enforcement. Acadia Parish Sheriff K.P. Gibson has directed all his settlement funds towards providing treatment within the jail, aiming to break cycles of addiction and crime. "I want people back into society, being productive," Gibson stated. Research supports the efficacy of providing medications for opioid use disorder in correctional facilities, demonstrating reductions in recidivism and overdose deaths. In St. Martin Parish, settlement funds supported a specialized team of officers dedicated to connecting individuals with substance use disorders and related mental health issues to treatment and support services. Chester Cedars, chief legal counsel for the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, explained that while officers are not clinicians, they act as intermediaries, connecting individuals with needed resources and assisting families with navigating care payment issues.
Stephen Loyd, an addiction medicine doctor and the West Virginia drug czar, also on the review panel, praised the comprehensive nature of the St. Martin Parish program, highlighting addiction as a family issue. Notably, both Cedars, the former chair of the Louisiana Opioid Abatement Task Force, and Gibson, its current chair, have advocated for using settlement funds for public health initiatives. Cedars explicitly stated that St. Martin Parish is not using any settlement funds for enforcement, aligning with his interpretation of the settlements’ intent. Gibson, while acknowledging the broad legal guidelines, expressed a desire not to criticize others’ spending choices. He has advised several sheriffs seeking guidance, though his recommendations are not binding.
A 2025 report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor indicated that the Opioid Abatement Task Force lacks the authority to enforce its recommendations. Sheriff Gibson suggested that stronger legislative action would be necessary to establish clearer guidelines for opioid settlement fund usage.
In response to concerns about oversight, the Louisiana state legislature passed a resolution in May calling for a legislative auditor review of how all parishes and sheriffs are managing their opioid settlement funds, with a report due before the 2027 legislative session. State Sen. Brach Myers, a co-author of the resolution, aims to illuminate the flow of these dollars, assess spending practices, and identify effective programs, which could lead to legislative proposals to tighten spending regulations.
The Louisiana Opioid Abatement Task Force is also actively working to enhance its oversight mechanisms. Curtis Nelson, executive counsel for the Louisiana Opioid Abatement Administration Corporation, stated that the task force is seeking proposals from accounting firms to conduct ongoing forensic audits of parishes and sheriffs, targeting 10 to 15 entities annually, starting with those receiving the largest allocations. The task force may have the authority to withhold future payments from entities found to be misusing funds. Furthermore, the task force is exploring the creation of an "unallowable list" of expenditures, similar to those implemented in other states, to guide spending.
Despite requests for comment, Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill did not indicate their support for an unallowable list or other measures to address opioid settlement spending. Nonetheless, many advocates remain hopeful that such a list could curb expenditures they deem inappropriate. "You’re keeping them on the track when you tell them what they can’t use it for," said Bolner, emphasizing the importance of clear boundaries. While awaiting enhanced oversight, Bolner continues his personal mission of distributing overdose reversal medications, participating in grief support groups, and raising awareness about addiction, while also engaging with sheriffs and parishes to advocate for what he considers the most effective use of settlement funds. "If I save one life, it’s accomplished," he stated.
Methodology
Reporters from KFF Health News, The Current, Gulf States Newsroom, and Verite News collaborated to contact all 64 sheriff’s offices in Louisiana, inquiring about their use of opioid settlement funds. This extensive outreach involved numerous emails and phone calls conducted between March and July. Sheriff’s offices that did not respond or failed to provide specific expenditure amounts were categorized as "Did not provide expenditures." All other responses were compiled into a comprehensive data table.
The total amount of settlement money allocated to each sheriff’s office through 2025 was obtained from a public spreadsheet maintained by the Louisiana Opioid Abatement Task Force, summing allocations for years 1 through 5 (2021-2025). In instances where a sheriff’s office reported spending exceeding its allocated amount, it was often due to the combined use of opioid settlement funds with parish government shares or other funding sources, or potential inclusion of 2026 allocations.
The collected data was analyzed using two distinct methods. First, an unduplicated list of expenditures was de-identified and shared with three independent reviewers: Tricia Christensen, a public health policy expert; Stephen Loyd, an addiction medicine doctor and former chair of Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Council; and Danny Bolner Jr., an individual in recovery who lost his son to a fentanyl overdose. Each reviewer voted on the appropriateness of each expenditure, with the majority vote determining the final classification. The percentage of expenditures deemed inappropriate by the panel was calculated for each sheriff’s office. Second, KFF Health News cross-referenced Louisiana sheriffs’ expenditures with the "unallowable lists" established by six other states (California, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, South Carolina, and Virginia). This analysis determined the percentage of expenditures that would have been considered unallowable or not recommended in at least one of these states.
The Current’s Alena Maschke, Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins, and Verite News’ Katie Jane Fernelius contributed to the database featured in this article.
