Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is working with a coalition of his counterparts across the U.S. to investigate whether opioid manufacturers have broken any laws. The Republican said Thursday that the bipartisan group of attorneys general is particularly interested in exploring if drug companies illegally marketed or sold opioids.
In Indiana and across the nation, opioids — whether obtained through prescriptions or illicitly—are the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Opioids were involved in 33,091 deaths nationwide in 2015, and opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In 2015, there were 1,245 opioid-related deaths in Indiana, up nearly 10 percent from 2014.
Illinois’s continuing financial problems could result in increased lottery sales for Indiana and other neighboring states.
Concern over the state’s fiscal condition prompted the Multi-State Lottery Association to drop Powerball in Illinois.
A spokesman for the Multi-State Lottery Association said the group “is focused on protecting the integrity of its games and the experience of its players.”
The Multi-State Lottery Association said it would no longer allow Illinois to participate in Powerball and Mega Millions drawings if Illinois legislators do not come up with a budget before the end of June.
That means that Lottery players in Illinois may have to turn to Indiana and other surrounding states to buy their Powerball and Mega Millions tickets.
If the state is booted from the Lottery Association, Illinois stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars from Lottery sales.
Illinois’ unemployment rate declined for the fourth straight month in May to 4.6 percent, the lowest level since February 2007. The state’s unemployment rate, which measures those who are not working but are looking for work, was down from 4.7 percent in April and from 5.9 percent a year earlier, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The number of unemployed people, at 298,100, fell below 300,000 for the first time since 2006. However, Illinois lags behind the national average, which dipped to a 4.3 percent unemployment rate in May.