Governor's Opioid and Heroin Study Taskforce

Governor Phil Bryant signed Executive Order 1388 on December 6, 2016 establishing the Opioid and Heroin Study Taskforce. The primary goal of this taskforce was to recommend strategies for fighting the opioid and heroin epidemic in Mississippi.

The taskforce reviewed measures that have been effective in others states and examined deficiencies in Mississippi, which led to the release of a comprehensive strategy that focuses on treatment, education and prevention.

Task Force Members

Chairman John Dowdy – Director, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics
Vice-Chair Dr. Randy Easterling – MS State Board Medical Licensure
Dr. Claude Brunson – Senior Advisor to the Vice Chancellor, UMMC
Patricia Burchell – District Attorney, Forrest and Perry Counties
Larry Calvert, R.Ph. – President, Mississippi Board of Pharmacy
Dr. Frank Conaway, Jr. – Board Vice-President, State Board of Dental Examiners
Joey East – Chief, Oxford Police Department
Dr. Scott Hambleton – Medical Director, MS Physician’s Health Program
Joshua Horton – Ole Miss Law Student, Southern Recovery Advocacy
Phyllis Johnson – Executive Director, MS Board of Nursing
Ken Magee – Retired Deputy Administrator, MS Dept. of Public Safety
Dr. Carroll McLeod – Medical Director, Jackson Anesthesia Pain Center
Melody Winston – Bureau Director, MS Department of Mental Health