Opioid Abuse: Nevada Commits More Than $1 Million To Battle Epidemic

Nevada is committing more than $1 million to fight the opioid epidemic. The state legislature's Interim Finance Committee unanimously approved a five-point plan put forward by Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt.

His "Prescription for Addiction" proposal covers use, abuse, and misuse of prescription drugs in the state.

"On average, one Nevadan dies per day from drug overdose, and opioid-related overdoses have become the lead cause of death in America," Laxalt said. (For more information on this and other Las Vegas stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

"My office’s ‘Prescription for Addiction’ opioid initiative creates an opportunity to face the epidemic that touches our families, friends and loved ones, and to promote prevention in Nevada."

The plan will:

• Provide one full-time dedicated criminal investigator to be assigned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s new opioid task force created in response to Nevada’s opioid epidemic.
• Purchase and install five drug disposal incinerators to be placed strategically in secure law enforcement locations throughout the State to incinerate prescription and illicit drugs seized or received through a take-back program.
• Grant approximately $500,000 to after-school prevention and education programs concerning drug and opioid abuse.
• Allocate $250,000 to the Department of Health and Human Services to purchase Naloxone/Narcan for local law enforcement agencies and first responders to be used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. This medication is needed to prevent opioid overdoses and save lives.
• Allocate approximately $675,000 to the Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen the efforts of statewide partners currently working on prevention and education efforts related to opioid addiction.

The funding for the initiative results from a $5.3 million deceptive trade practice settlement with Volkswagen from June, 2016.

This past June, Laxalt – along with attorneys general from across the country announced a bipartisan probe into whether manufacturers have engaged in unlawful practices in the marketing and sale of opioids.

Then, last month, they issued subpoenas to pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributers related to the ongoing investigation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids were involved in 33,091 nationwide deaths in 2015, and opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999. In 2016, Nevada was ranked as the sixth highest state for the number of milligrams of opioids distributed per adult according to a study by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

File photo of oxycodone pills via John Moore/Getty Images News/Getty Images