By Collin Cunningham
(OHIO) Ohio may be receiving up to $1 billion of the $26 billion opioid settlement reached between a coalition of state attorneys general, Johnson & Johnson and a trio of other distributors of the firm's pain-relieving medicine.
Ohio is one of the first states to embrace the deal, with governors having 30 days to latch on and local governments having a period of 150 days to decide if they want a cut, according to NPR.
The site reports that North Carolina AG Josh Stein is one of the biggest proponents of the settlement, which he referred to as a "historic amount of money to bring much-needed treatment and recovery services" to states and communities that sign the document.
While the exact amount of money Ohio will receive has yet to be determined, WKSU reports that about 30% will be diverted to community recovery programs that help addicts at the local level. A bulky 55% of the amount will go to a statewide foundation, while 15% will go to the state's government to enact legislation and fund statewide addiction programming.
Ohio's portion could be so large as a result of the number of opioids circulating the state; 11 out of ever 100,000 Ohioans died during the second quarter of 2020, per Patch.
"The settlement announced today has the potential to help Ohioans turn the corner in our battle against opioids," Gov. Mike DeWine said in response to the agreement. "Thanks to the work from our nation's attorneys general, the opioid makers and distributors that tore Ohio's families apart are being held accountable and will support communities in their recovery."
Wednesday's settlement is the second-largest deal in the history of the U.S., trailing behind the 1998 tobacco settlement that drew $206 billion from tobacco and cigarette manufacturers.
Of the $26 billion total, Patch reports J&J will be responsible for $5 billion, to be paid out over a period of nine years. The three other companies — Cardinal, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen — owe $21 billion across 17 years for their role in distributing the medication.
"This isn't an antidote for this devastating crisis that killed so many, but the financial resources will provide for significant recovery in Ohio," the state's attorney general, Dave Yost, explained on Wednesday. "The funds are necessary for the healing process that our communities desperately need, and the guardrails these companies are now required to implement will help make sure that these companies will provide a brake in the system, so that those individuals who need medication can receive it without flooding our communities."