Drugs

Drug companies already have sent $100 million to Missouri to settle lawsuits for their role in the opioid crisis. But the state could receive hundreds of millions more over the next two decades.

Federal authorities have sentenced 15 members of south St. Louis gang 55 Boyz for fentanyl dealing, gun crimes and money laundering. The investigation involved St. Louis police and federal agents.

His attorney said an “overzealous and out-of-line” officer targeted him unfairly.

Under the 2022 constitution amendment that legalized marijuana, Missouri courts were required to complete misdemeanors by last June and felonies by last December.

Missouri played a key role in meth’s spread. A new podcast tells that story.

A new Illinois program aims to alleviate a shortage of professionals who work to prevent substance use disorders after 5 straight years of record overdose deaths in the state.

The state’s requirements comprise ‘one of the nation’s most stringent bans for receiving SNAP benefits,’ according to one report.

Data points to a nearly 75% increase in overdoses in Missouri since 2019, and last year was the second consecutive year that fentanyl accounted for over two-thirds of overdoses in Missouri.

Corrections officials say the move is necessary to stem the flow of drugs into Missouri prisons. But criminal justice reform advocates warn it could violate inmates’ privacy and further isolate them from their families.

Joe Biden granted clemency for the first time in his presidency Tuesday. He focused his attention commuting the sentences of people convicted of low-level, nonviolent drug offenses. Five are from Missouri.