The state government of Massachusetts will get $310 million, and the cities and towns of the state will get more than $210 million from the opioid manufacturers and distributors to deal with the addiction and overdose problem.
A national settlement of $26 billion has been reached between the states and the drug distributors and manufacturers. As per the settlement, Massachusetts would receive a larger share of $525 million, unlike other states, cities and towns.
Attorney General Maura Healey said that the funding is not sufficient to undo the havoc created due to the opioid epidemic, but still, it is a sigh of relief for the opioid-affected people of Massachusetts. Massachusetts will get the first two settlement payments by this spring and summer, with yearly installments slated from 2023 to 2038.
The settlement amount would vary as per the county and towns on basis of area and population. For example, the Berkshire County town of Alford will get just $1,566 over the next 16 years, whereas Boston will get more than $22 million over the same span.
The settlement amount received by Massachusetts would be used in the prevention, harm reduction and addiction treatment of the opioid crisis, as the epidemic has killed more than 21,000 Massachusetts residents since 2000.
In a similar lawsuit, Florida is set to receive an $878 million settlement from CVS Health Corp and three drug companies to deal with the opioid crisis. Another verdict stated that Hamilton County and Northern Kentucky counties would get $55million and $20million, respectively, to abate the opioid epidemic.
