Alabama has been hit hard by the opioid crisis
Every day, 130 Americans die from opioid-related overdoses, with seniors bearing a disproportionate burden.
drug addiction
Sewell announces $2 million in federal funding for the Lovelady Center in Birmingham
The Lovelady Center helps break the cycle of incarceration and poverty for women in the Birmingham region.
April 25, 2023
Gov. Ivey awards grant for state prison drug rehabilitation program
The grant funds for the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment course come from the U.S. Department of Justice.
March 30, 2022
Gov. Ivey awards grants for prison programs
Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded two grants to the Alabama Department of Corrections for programs that provide treatment for drug addiction and increase safety. A $495,456 grant will provide a drug treatment program conducted at seven prisons in the state. The program includes education, counseling and urinalysis testing in order to reduce recidivism rates and … Continued
November 20, 2019
Opinion
Opinion
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See recent postsJudge Marks and mass incarceration in the Middle District of Alabama
In 2016, together with former colleague Assistant Federal Public Defender Donnie W. Bethel, I wrote, “[p]eople of all persuasions, political parties, and philosophies have awakened to the terrible toll the crises of overcriminalization and mass incarceration have wrought on America.” Then, a year later, highlighting the “criminalization of addiction,” I wrote about Benny King – one of Bethel’s clients – … Continued
Alabama House Judiciary Chairman Jim Hill says a “multi-prong” approach needed on prisons
There is a general belief among lawmakers that Gov. Kay Ivey will call a Special Legislative Session sometime in the fall to address the state’s failed prisons. The real need, as many see, is not just building new facilities but also enacting sweeping justice reforms that impact the front end of the prison system. House … Continued
Feds indict owners of alleged Moody pill mill
Wednesday, a federal grand jury indicted a Springville couple and a prominent Moody doctor on charges they operated a pill mill in Moody, St. Clair County for four years. U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town, Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Bret Hamilton and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Thomas … Continued
Sen. Doug Jones co-sponsors bipartisan legislation to address opioid crisis
Tuesday, U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Alabama) co-sponsored legislation introduced by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tennesee) and Patty Murray (D-Washington), leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP), which was composed of 40 different proposals, and is the result of seven bipartisan hearings over several months, and feedback from the public. Jones’ office said … Continued
House passes bill to increase penalties for Fentanyl trafficking
Thursday, the House passed legislation to increase the penalties for the distribution of Fentanyl. Senate Bill 39 is sponsored by State Senator Cam Ward, R-Alabaster. Weaver said that the biggest problem is the fetanyl is a synthetic opioid being produced in China and Mexico and other countries and then smuggled in to this country. Fentanyl … Continued
AL Earned over $4,000 Last Year From Marijuana Tax, Though Practice May Soon End
By Lee Hedgepeth Alabama Political Reporter Since the late 1980s, when states across the US began cracking down on drug use by any means necessary, Alabama has had the legal power to assess a very unusual tax. Namely, a tax on marijuana and other controlled substances that – yes – are illegal. The law, which … Continued