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BATON ROUGE, LA – Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry issued the following statement praising the Louisiana Senate for passing SB 145 – legislation that would quickly identify individuals with substance use disorders who become involved in the criminal justice system and hopefully provide early intervention and treatment:

“In an overwhelming, bipartisan manner – the Louisiana Senate voted to repair the damage caused by the opioid epidemic and improve the safety of all our State’s citizens. By creating a Drug and Specialty Court fund in the state treasury – Louisiana would be able to accept deposit of any compensation recovered from opioid manufacturers, marketers, and sellers who stoked the fire of the epidemic then disbursing those monies to state and local entities providing and enabling treatment courts across our State. By working together, Republican and Democrat – we are one step closer to investing the settlements, judgments, and penalties recovered by our State as a result of the opioid crisis into saving resources, lives, and families across Louisiana. I applaud the Senate for passing this common-sense legislation and trust the House will soon follow their lead.”