Mississippi Lawmakers Remove Opioid Settlement Spending Restrictions

Provision to steer local funds to overdose prevention efforts stripped from reform bill

Mar. 27, 2026 at 1:55am

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Mississippi lawmakers have removed a provision from an opioid settlement reform bill that would have guaranteed tens of millions of dollars from drug company lawsuits be used to address addiction and prevent overdose deaths. The revised bill now allows local governments to spend the settlement funds on any public purpose without reporting requirements.

Why it matters

The opioid crisis has devastated communities across Mississippi, leading to over 10,000 overdose deaths since 1999. The state has received over $130 million so far from lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, with more funds expected in the coming years. Advocates argue this money should be directed towards addiction treatment and overdose prevention efforts, but lawmakers have now stripped those requirements from the reform bill.

The details

The original bill proposed by Republican Rep. Sam Creekmore would have required all local government funds from the opioid settlements to be spent on public health overdose prevention measures. However, this provision was removed in a compromise between three senators and three representatives, including Creekmore. The lawmakers said they could not get agreement on the local government spending restrictions, and removing them was necessary to pass the broader reform bill.

  • Since 2022, Mississippi has received over $130 million from lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies.
  • The state is expected to receive about $421 million in opioid settlement funds by 2040.
  • The revised bill was negotiated and agreed to on March 26, 2026.

The players

Sam Creekmore

Republican state representative from New Albany and chairman of the House Public Health and Human Services Committee. He originally proposed requiring local governments to spend opioid settlement funds on overdose prevention.

Nicole Boyd

Republican state senator from Oxford and lead sponsor of the opioid settlement reform bill.

Lynn Fitch

Mississippi Attorney General, whose office provided legal guidance on the opioid settlement funds.

James Moore

Hattiesburg recovery advocate who lost his son to an overdose and is a member of the state's opioid settlement advisory council.

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What they’re saying

“I'll stand with them on it. Did I want to? No. But at the end of the day, I thought the bill is as good as we can get.”

— Sam Creekmore, State Representative

“The money that went back to them, that went to the cities and the counties, was for money they had already spent. It's not abatement, it's reimbursement.”

— Nicole Boyd, State Senator

“I can't imagine anybody in the room that'd be willing to look at survivors and families and parents and say, 'We still ought to be able to do what we want to with this, even if it's fix a pothole.'”

— James Moore, Recovery Advocate

What’s next

The revised opioid settlement reform bill will now go to the full Mississippi House and Senate for consideration in the coming days.

The takeaway

This decision by Mississippi lawmakers to remove spending restrictions on local opioid settlement funds is a setback for addiction treatment and overdose prevention efforts in a state that has been devastated by the opioid crisis. Advocates argue the funds should be directed towards addressing the public health emergency, not general government expenses.