North Carolina to receive $750 million to fight opioid crisis

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina will receive $750 million to fight the drug crisis after a $26 billion opioid agreement with the nation’s four major pharmaceutical distributors, according to North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.

Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson will start releasing funds to a national administrator on April 2. Money will then start flowing to state and local governments in the second quarter of 2022.

“These companies made billions of dollars while millions of Americans got hooked on opioids. In North Carolina, we’ve already lost at least 20,000 people to the crisis, and countless families more have been devastated by loss and addiction,” Stein said in a release.

Stein said as a result of the settlement, North Carolina communities will begin to receive money this year to help people struggling with substance misuse.

The agreement comes after three years of negotiations to resolve more than 4,000 claims of state and local governments across the country and is the second-largest multistate agreement in U.S. history.

Fifty-two states and territories signed the agreement.

All 100 counties and 47 municipalities in North Carolina have signed the agreement.

To support treatment, recovery, and harm reduction to tackle the opioid epidemic, 85% of the funds will go directly to North Carolina’s local communities.

North Carolina has an opioid settlement dashboard that offers tools, resources, and other information to local governments receiving opioid settlement funds. It will update information on the use and impact of the settlement funds throughout the duration of the 18-year settlement.

(WATCH BELOW: Walmart accused by Justice Department of fueling opioid crisis)

Walmart accused by Justice Department of fueling opioid crisis (NCD)

©2022 Cox Media Group