newstreatmentharm-reductionNew York Recruits Faith Leaders in Its Overdose FightGovernor Hochul's GRACE initiative pairs OASAS with the state's Interfaith Advisory Council, betting that the person a family turns to before it calls a hotline is often a pastor, imam, or rabbi. The program has $250,000 behind it and 13 events already on the calendar.October 1, 20263 min read
newscrisismental-healthNew York Bets $8 Million on Crisis Teams Without PoliceThe state Office of Mental Health is offering up to $8 million for four more community crisis response teams, including at least one in a rural area. Communities can apply for as much as $2 million each, but only counties left out of the first round are eligible.September 30, 20263 min read
newstreatmentfundingNew York's $1.3 Billion Betting Boom Leaves a $12 Million Safety NetNew York's mobile sports betting industry has become the state's second-largest source of gaming revenue, generating $1.3 billion in taxes last fiscal year. The comptroller's new report puts a much smaller number next to it: the state's entire problem gambling budget, doubled this year to $12 million.September 28, 20269 min read
newsopioidsettlementNew York Has Spent Nearly Half a Billion in Opioid Settlement Money. Here's Where It Went.New York has received over $3 billion from opioid manufacturer lawsuits. A new OASAS report reveals where nearly $500 million has gone so far.August 24, 20264 min read
newsyouthrecoveryRural New York Recovery Center Lands $450,000 to Expand Services for TeensA rural New York recovery organization that nearly shut down earlier this year has secured $450,000 in state funding to expand services for teenagers affected by substance use.August 21, 20265 min read
newstreatmentmatNew Addiction Treatment Center Opens in Gloversville to Combat Fulton County's Opioid CrisisA new comprehensive outpatient treatment center opened in Gloversville this week, bringing medication-assisted treatment and integrated healthcare services to Fulton County—an area that has experienced some of the highest fatal drug overdose rates in the Capital Region.July 14, 20265 min read
newsopioidtreatmentNew York Issues Urgent Warning on Kratom and 7-OH: What Users Need to KnowState health officials are raising alarms about kratom and its potent derivative 7-hydroxymitragynine as new data shows a 1,200% increase in poison center calls.May 21, 20265 min read
newspreventionnew-yorkNew York Wants Young People to Create Their Own Anti-Drug Ads—And Put Them on BillboardsNew York's addiction agency is betting that young people know best how to reach their peers. The new 'Drop Your POV' campaign puts youth in the director's chair, offering a platform for authentic voices on billboards, TV, and social media.May 19, 20265 min read
newsharm-reductionnaloxoneVending Machines for Naloxone Are Saving Lives in New York. A New Study Shows How.A pair of studies published in medical journals confirms that harm reduction vending machines across New York State are reaching high-risk individuals who might otherwise lack access to overdose reversal medication and drug testing supplies.May 7, 20266 min read
newssettlementfundingPurdue Pharma Is Shut Down Forever. New York Just Secured $250 Million for Addiction Treatment.The company that made OxyContin and fueled the opioid crisis is now defunct. New York Attorney General Letitia James secured $250 million for the state as part of a historic $7.4 billion settlement that bars the Sackler family from the opioid business forever.May 4, 20265 min read
newsmental-healthtreatmentNew York Launches 10-Year Gambling Addiction Study as Betting Expands StatewideAs New York approves three new casino locations and mobile sports betting surges, the state is launching an unprecedented 10-year study to understand gambling addiction patterns and direct resources where they're needed most.April 30, 20266 min read
newssettlementnew-yorkNew York Airs TV Special Showing How Opioid Settlement Billions Are Saving LivesA new television program airing across New York State puts faces to the opioid crisis—and shows how settlement money is funding prevention, treatment, and harm reduction programs that are reversing overdose trends.April 15, 20264 min read
newspolicyfederalNew York's Top Addiction Official Warns $13 Billion Medicaid Cut Could 'Destabilize' Treatment System StatewideAt a Penn conference, NY's addiction services commissioner warned that losing $13 billion in Medicaid funding would force impossible choices between prevention, treatment, and harm reduction—and likely cost lives.April 9, 20268 min read
newscannabismental-healthNew York's Cannabis Treatment System Is Collapsing Just as Youth Need It MostAs New York legalizes adult cannabis use, the state's treatment infrastructure for young people struggling with marijuana addiction is shrinking. Admissions have fallen by half in eight years, emergency departments lack linkage programs, and pediatricians aren't trained to spot the problem.April 8, 20267 min read
newscannabistreatmentNew York's Cannabis Treatment Admissions Dropped 50% While ER Visits Doubled—And Young People Are Falling Through the CracksCannabis treatment admissions in New York have dropped 50% since 2016, even as marijuana-related emergency department visits have more than doubled. Young people struggling with high-potency cannabis face a treatment system that wasn't designed for them—and the state is scrambling to catch up.April 7, 20268 min read
NnewsopioidfundingNew York Airs Statewide Documentary Showing Where Billions in Opioid Settlement Funds Are GoingA new 30-minute documentary produced by OASAS is airing statewide this month, revealing where hundreds of millions in opioid settlement dollars are going—and putting faces to the crisis through personal stories of loss, survival, and recovery.March 30, 20267 min read
newsopioidrecoveryNew York Airs Rare Statewide TV Program on Opioid Crisis — Here's What It ShowsA 30-minute program airing across New York this month gives the public an inside look at how the state is using hundreds of millions in opioid settlement money—and tells the stories of New Yorkers who've lived through addiction and recovery.March 19, 20267 min read
newsoasasfundingNew York Airs Documentary on $3B Opioid Settlement SpendingA new documentary airing across New York gives the public its first look at how the state is deploying $3 billion in opioid settlement funds, including personal stories from families who lost loved ones and teens who learned to save lives with naloxone.March 12, 20264 min read
fundingoasasauditState Pulls $5 Million in Funding From Lockport Recovery Group After 15-Year RunA Western New York addiction services provider that answered 55,000 calls a year has shut its doors after state auditors found its founder gave himself a $25,000 raise and a $40,000 loan without board approval.March 6, 20268 min read
newspolicynaloxoneNew York Workplaces Will Be Required to Stock Overdose Medication by Next YearStarting December 2026, New York employers required to maintain first aid supplies must stock naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses. The new law signed by Governor Hochul aims to combat a crisis that claimed over 4,500 lives in 2024.February 27, 20265 min read
newsrecoveryfundingNew York Invests $42.9 Million in Job Training for People in Addiction RecoveryEvery region of New York will get dedicated vocational counselors to help people in recovery find stable work. The five-year initiative targets one of the biggest barriers to lasting recovery: unemployment.February 24, 20264 min read
deep-diveopioidsettlementWhere Are New York's Opioid Settlement Millions Going? Watchdogs Say the State Won't Tell ThemDrug policy experts and advisory board members say OASAS is stonewalling transparency efforts around $1.5 billion in opioid settlement funds, refusing to disclose basic information required by law.February 23, 20269 min read
treatmentresidentialnew-yorkLong Island Gets New York's First Residential Addiction Program Built Specifically for Young AdultsNew York has hundreds of residential treatment programs, but until now, none were built around the specific needs of young adults. A new facility in Brentwood is trying to change that — and the gap it's filling says something about how the state thinks about addiction in people under 25.February 18, 20266 min read
overdoseopioidfentanylNew York Just Recorded Its Lowest Overdose Death Toll Since Before COVID. Here's What Changed.For two consecutive years, New York has posted dramatic declines in overdose deaths. An estimated 4,567 people died in 2024, compared to 6,688 in 2023 — a drop the state hasn't seen since before the pandemic. Here's what drove it, who's still being left behind, and why 2026 will test how durable these gains really are.February 18, 20267 min read
