Missouri Department of Mental Health

Missouri veterans and first-responders would be able to possess "magic mushrooms" if they’re enrolled in a study and it's administered by a facilitator. Despite overwhelming support for the idea in past years, Thursday marks the first time the Missouri House has sent the bill on to the Senate.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety and other state departments wrote in their alert that nitazene can be five to 10 times more potent than fentanyl. Recent wastewater surveillance reports from Missouri schools shows that it's becoming more common.

There are 524 Missourians waiting for treatment and services from the Department of Mental Health. Of those, 446 are in jails throughout the state — incarcerated indefinitely without being convicted of their alleged crimes.

Missouri Department of Mental Health Director Valerie Huhn told lawmakers that while the reductions would impact families, the spending reductions would preserve the state's ability to offer these services.

Missouri Mental Health Director Valerie Huhn told state lawmakers that the department and courts need options to get defendants treatment in their communities.

Hundreds of Missourians are stuck in jail because they have been charged but not convicted of crimes, and were found incompetent to stand trial due to mental health disorders or cognitive disabilities. Now lawmakers are demanding solutions.

Missourians narrowly passed Amendment 2 in 2024, which legalized sports betting in the state. As of December 1, people can now bet in person at casinos as well as through a variety of mobile apps like DraftKings or FanDuel.

The federal lawsuit argues that the state Department of Mental Health unconstitutionally delays required treatment for individuals who have been found incompetent to stand trial and does not meet legal deadlines for competency exams.

Sports betting launches in Missouri on Dec. 1. Customers will be able to start signing up with different sportsbooks beginning Nov. 17.

Missouri’s competency-to-stand-trial system has become so overloaded that even people accused of low-level crimes now wait years for effective treatment. Most defendants bide their time in county jails that sheriffs acknowledge aren’t equipped to meet mental health needs.

Timothy Beckmann was arrested in late September but had not been convicted of any crimes yet. He was found dead Monday at the Jackson County Detention Center, months after being ordered into the custody of the Department of Mental Health.

The number of people waiting in jail to be transferred to state mental health facilities reached an all-time high in February. People are sometimes being incarcerated for longer than if they’d actually received the maximum sentence for the crime they were charged with.