Virginia will receive $13.6 million from a nationwide settlement with a global consulting firm under investigation for its role in promoting the use of prescription painkillers fueling the nation s drug
Advocates push for money to curb opioid addiction
Attorneys General from more than 40 states sued several pharmaceutical companies that manufacture and distribute opioids.
and last updated 2021-02-03 08:14:57-05
RICHMOND, Va. Thousands of lives have been lost to opioid addiction in Virginia. Since 2007, according to the Attorney General s Office, more than 8,000 Virginians have died due to opioid overdoses. That includes 5,000 people who overdosed on opioid prescription drugs.
Peer recovery specialist Lauren Hope, who uses her own lived experience with mental illness to help people in recovery, has seen the dark side of what people in addiction go through.
âIâve worked in a hospital setting and ER. Weâd see people a couple of hours after they overdose. So many people are in those ERs alone with no one to call. They donât know where theyâre going to sleep the next day. So, I take this as a moment to be with someone on the hardest day of their life,â
HERRING ANNOUNCES SENIOR STAFF FOR RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Experienced Team to Lead Herring’s Re-Election Campaign
Today, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced the senior leadership team who will lead his re-election campaign. Farah Melendez will take leave from her role as Political Director of the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) to serve as Campaign Manager. Adnan Mohamed will serve as both Deputy Campaign Manager and Political Director, Tommy Keefe will serve as Finance Director, Cassie Moreno will serve as Communications Director, and André Earls will serve as Press Secretary.
“Our work to make Virginia more safe, more just, and more equitable is only just beginning, and our diverse and talented senior leadership team represents an investment in the future of the Commonwealth,” said Attorney General Mark Herring. “This is a team with deep Virginia connections and a wealth of experience who will help us share our record of progressive achiev
Recovery advocates and state lawmakers awaiting millions in settlement dollars from opioid manufacturers and distributors over the next two decades want to put that money to work fighting addiction.
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