Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia announced a tentative agreement on the distribution of funds from the future opioid settlements with cities and counties.
The attorney general said that he is keen to plan a fair distribution of funds as the opioid epidemic is one of the major challenges of West Virginia. The First program of West Virginia is still awaiting approval from elected city and county officials. The division of the expected funds from the program are 24.5% for cities and counties, 3% to the Attorney General's Office and 72.5% to a non-profit opioid foundation which would be set up by the Attorney General’s Office.
As soon as the future settlements are distributed, the cities and counties would use the funds for developing programs to deal with substance abuse, avoidance, research, and education. It would even combat the sale and distribution of drugs and help to plan efficient programs for treatment and recovery.
The agreement would apply to future opioid settlements, excluding the Cabell County and the city of Huntington case against the AmerisourceBergen Drug Co., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp. The litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors includes 54 out of 55 counties, along with dozen of cities and towns.
The state Department of Health and Human Resource’s Office of Drug Control Policy provided data that states approximately 932 people died from drug overdoses in 2021, with a majority of them being due to opioids.
