State Drug Director Kirk Lane Resigns

Kirk Lane is resigning to serve as director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership.

Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane is resigning, effective Aug. 21, to serve as director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson appointed Lane in July 2017 as director of the state’s efforts to prevent substance abuse. The governor and Cindy Gillespie, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, in a news release praised him for launching the Arkansas Naloxone Program, a partnership where first responders are trained to use Narcan to stop opioid overdoses that has save thousands of lives.

The Arkansas Association of Counties and the Arkansas Municipal League created the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership. In his new role, Lane will oversee the distribution of money the counties and cities have received in settlements with the manufacturers and distributors of opioids.