U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst Announces Over $8.6 Million in Justice Department Grants to Combat Addiction Crisis

Jackson, Miss. – U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst today announced awards of over $8.6 million in Department of Justice grants to fight drug abuse and addiction in the Southern District of Mississippi. The grants were awarded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and are part of more than $341 million going to communities nationwide.

“The addiction crisis has taken an enormous toll on America’s families and communities, eroding public health, threatening public safety and claiming tens of thousands of lives year after year,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Through comprehensive measures taken by this administration, we have been able to curtail the opioid epidemic, but new and powerful drugs are presenting exceptional challenges that we must be prepared to meet. The Justice Department’s substantial investments in enforcement, response, and treatment will help us overcome these challenges and work towards freeing Americans from abuse and addiction.”

“I am grateful to the Department of Justice for investing in our communities to help address addiction has adversely affected so many Mississippians and their families.  These groups should be commended for stepping up to address these problems in their communities.  We have achieved so much in the last three years and we will continue to fight the epidemic of illegal narcotics on multiple fronts in order to make our neighborhoods safer,” said U.S. Attorney Hurst.

Illegal drugs and illicit drug use have claimed the lives of nearly 400,000 Americans since the turn of the century. Powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl are exacting an enormous toll on families and communities, and an emergence in the use of methamphetamines and other psychostimulants is drawing drug traffickers and driving up overdose rates. Three years ago, President Trump declared a Public Health Emergency and initiated a whole-of-government approach dedicated to ending this national tragedy. The Department of Justice has invested unprecedented levels of funding in combating the addiction crisis. The awards announced today build on those earlier investments.

“If we hope to defeat an enemy as powerful, persistent and adaptable as illicit drugs, we must be at least as determined and versatile, focusing our ingenuity and resources on curbing abuse and fighting addiction,” said OJP’s Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan. “These grants will enable criminal justice officials and substance abuse, mental health and other medical professionals to pool their assets and bring the full weight of our public safety and treatment systems down on this epidemic that has already caused so much harm.”

Funding is made available through OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, National Institute of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The following organizations received funding:

• The Mississippi State Department of Health - $6,000,000 under Category 2 of the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program.
   
• The Harrison County Board of Supervisors - $827,963 under the Family Drug Court Program.
   
• The County Court of Hancock County - $742,462 under the Family Drug Court Program.
   
• The Lamar County Board of Supervisors - $599,981 under Category 1 of the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program.
   
• Mississippi Division of Public Safety Planning - $434,114 under the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program
   
• Jackson County, Mississippi - $94,328 under the Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Courts Discretionary Grant Program.

For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts, and jurisdictions that will receive funding, click here. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years