Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has announced that the first round of funding opportunities under the Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Program, which will use money recovered by the state through opioid legal settlements to support substance abuse and addiction services in Kansas, will be available starting Monday, March 6. An initial $3 million available to eligible agencies, entities and nonprofit organizations through a grant application process that will prioritize strategies related to treatment, recovery, reducing harm associated with substance use, and linking people to support services and care.
The opioid epidemic has taken an enormous toll nationwide and in Kansas. Over a million people in the U. S. have died from drug overdoses since 1999. In Kansas, the number of overdose deaths has risen steadily in recent years. In 2019, the state reported 393 overdose deaths; that number rose to 477 in 2020 and 678 in 2021, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
