Advocates Concerned About Local Government Spending of Opioid Settlement Funds

Advocates are concerned that state and local governments are not using opioid settlement funds in ways that make a significant impact on the opioid crisis, the Associated Press reports.

Opioid settlements with pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers and pharmacies could be worth more than $50 billion over almost 20 years. Local governments may not have the resources to identify their communities’ needs and direct opioid settlement funding to projects that use proven methods to prevent overdose deaths, advocates say.

They say they are concerned opioid funds could go the way of tobacco settlement money. They point out that states used only a fraction of tobacco settlement funds on tobacco-related efforts.

Experts say the goal is to help those who use opioids to get treatment; to help make it less likely people who use opioids will overdose; and to create an environment for people not to use them in the first place. However few states require local governments to complete reports on funding. Many localities have not spent their allocated funds yet. Some have allocated funds to police departments. Some localities are giving their money to states or partnerships rather than dictate the spending themselves.