News/Events

Registration is open for the Jan. 23 event in Benton

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced a free training for law enforcement officers, prosecutors and coroners about overdose death investigation and prosecution. Rutledge is partnering with the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute to bring the training to central Arkansas.

“I am proud to bring this training to Arkansas to educate members of our law enforcement community about some of the more subtle signs of overdose deaths,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “The number of overdose deaths in the state is staggering, but I am afraid there are even more not being reported because many people are unaware of issues that surround cases involving heroin and fentanyl deaths.”

Topics of the training include changing the mindset from accident to homicide, responding to and investigating drug overdose deaths, what evidence to look for, documenting the death scene, electronic evidence, witness and suspect interview techniques, search and seizure issues, legal theory and case development, intelligence gathering and sharing, officer safety when dealing with drugs like fentanyl, and case analysis.

The course will cover basic drug overdose death investigation techniques, discuss legal requirements and issues involved in drug overdose death investigations, address drug safety awareness particular to heroin and fentanyl, and highlight proper evidence handling and protocols.

About 1,000 attend

HOT SPRINGS – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today, along with the Arkansas Office of the Drug Director, Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy and the Criminal Justice Institution, a division of the University of Arkansas System, hosted the seventh annual Arkansas Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Summit at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

The Summit serves as a free training and educational opportunity for law enforcement officers, medical professionals, pharmacists and educators which gives participants an opportunity to hear from experts regarding prescription drug abuse prevention and treatment, and was attended by about 1,000.

“Arkansas has been at the forefront of fighting the opioid epidemic, and I am proud to offer the training necessary for service providers,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Working as an aggressive collaboration of federal, state and local resources, I am confident that we will curb this crisis and save lives.”

The all-day Summit began with remarks from the Attorney General, Governor Asa Hutchinson and U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Cody Hiland followed by breakout sessions about medication-assisted treatment options from Commander Karen Hearod, regional administrator with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and e-prescribing from Ken Whittemore Jr., the senior vice president of Professional and Regulatory Affairs for Surescripts. Tom Fisher and Justin King with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration discussed fentanyl. Maureen Vogel with National Safety Council discussed handling opioids in the workplace and Kristina Carnes with the Attorney General’s Office discussed the Prescription for Life program. Steven Blackwood; Paul Chapman, Restore Hope executive director; and Jimmy McGill, state targeted response opioid recovery coordinator with the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Aging Adult and Behavioral Health Services discussed peer recovery.

Rutledge hosted today’s luncheon, which included an update on Naloxone SAVEs from Arkansas State Drug Director Kirk Lane and a screening of the Emmy award winning “Saving a Generation,” by Laura Monteverdi, reporter with KTHV, also served as emcee for the event.

The afternoon session included an Arkansas impact panel with Dr. Johnathan Goree, assistant professor in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Department of Anesthesiology and Director of Chronic Pain Division; Dr. Corey Hayes, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UAMS and Research Health Scientist in the Center for Mental Health and Outcomes Research at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and Associate Professor in the UAMS Department of Psychiatry and Program Director of the Center for Addiction Services and Treatment in the Psychiatric Research Institute. The afternoon session also included presentations from Lieutenant Detective Patrick Glynn with the Quincy, Mass., Police Department; Trevor Villines with the Razorback Action Group; Joe Martin with the Arkansas Department of Health discussing Dose of Reality; and a survivor’s panel.

Plenary sessions included a presentation about over-the-counter medications by Dr. Keith McCain, associate professor at the UAMS Department of Pharmacy Practice. A family panel closed out the day.

Says, ‘Fighting the opioid crisis is a priority of mine as Attorney General’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today participated in a bill signing ceremony at the White House in the East Room where President Donald J. Trump signed legislation to continue the federal government’s commitment to combatting the opioid crisis.

“I was honored to join President Trump and represent Arkansans as he signed legislation that will directly help individuals impacted by opioid addiction,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Fighting the opioid crisis is a priority of mine as Attorney General. My office takes a multi-faceted approach to combatting this devastating epidemic by focusing on prevention, treatment and litigation.”

The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act is the largest legislative effort in history to address the opioid crisis. The legislation will help lift people out of addiction, help keep illicit drugs out of our communities, expand public awareness and prevention initiatives to stop addiction before it starts and save lives.

In October 2017, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a national Public Health Emergency.

Rutledge has taken an aggressive approach to protect Arkansans and combat the epidemic by suing Johnson & Johnson, Purdue Pharma and Endo, opioid manufacturers who created the crisis in Arkansas for violations of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Arkansas Medicaid Fraud False Claims Act.

Program now in 85 schools, reaching over 9,500 students

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today provided an update on her first-in-the-nation education initiative “Prescription for Life” which expanded to the Cabot school district during national Red Ribbon Week. Attorney General Rutledge was joined today by law enforcement and education leaders to kick off the program in Lonoke County. Prescription for Life is now active in 85 schools in 61 counties, reaching a total of 9,535 students across Arkansas. Another 25 schools have committed to using Prescription for Life.

“One year ago, we launched Prescription for Life,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “And this year we celebrate the program’s huge success during Red Ribbon Week to bring awareness about the dangers of drug abuse. Prescription for Life is making a difference in our schools and educating teens about opioid abuse and misuse.”

Joining Attorney General Rutledge were Diane Upchurch, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge, Little Rock; U.S. Attorney Duane (Dak) Kees, Western District of Arkansas; Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Graham; Cabot Police Chief Jackie Davis; Supervisory Special Agent Nate Koen, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Cabot Schools Superintendent Tony Thurman and officials with Everfi and Walmart.

Additionally, Rutledge is collaborating with the FBI and DEA to coordinate statewide screenings of the film “Chasing the Dragon” for students Oct. 24. “Chasing the Dragon” is a documentary produced by the FBI and DEA, which exposes the truth behind the opioid epidemic devastating communities in Arkansas and across the United States.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today filed a petition for a writ of certiorari asking the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Act 900 of 2015—an Arkansas law requiring pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to reimburse pharmacies for dispensing prescriptions to insured individuals at pharmacies’ wholesale inventory costs at a minimum.

“Many Arkansans rely on pharmacies as their frontline healthcare provider,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “These same pharmacies are experiencing financial losses at the hands of middlemen PBMs that set pharmacy reimbursements so low that local pharmacies operate at a loss or are forced out of business. I will always protect Arkansans and small businesses from unfair business practices and ensure there is prescription drug pricing transparency in Arkansas.”

In 2015, the Arkansas General Assembly enacted Act 900 regulating reimbursement rates paid by PBMs that verify benefits and manage financial transactions among pharmacies, healthcare payors and patients. Prior to this action, PBMs provided below-cost, or negative, reimbursements for a significant number of prescriptions. These negative reimbursements have contributed to the closure of more than 16% of rural, independent pharmacies over the past 15 years nationwide and the closure of 12% of Arkansas’s independent pharmacies since 2006.

Rutledge’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court comes after a three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision that Act 900 was partially preempted by the Medicaid Part D and federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.