How is Your State Spending Opioid Settlement Money?
KFF Health News
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Opioid settlement money has gone from an emerging funding stream for which people had lofty but uncertain aspirations to a coveted pot of billions being invested in remediation efforts. Here are some important and evolving factors to watch going forward.?
The four-page bill lists how states should spend settlement money, but it doesn’t specify consequences for flouting the rules or name who would monitor compliance.
Some states haven’t begun using opioid settlement funds intended to help curb the opioid epidemic. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 Americans died of an overdose in 2022.?
Parents, educators, and elected officials agree that investing in school-based prevention efforts could help curb the rising rate of youth drug overdoses. The well-known D.A.R.E. program is one likely choice, but its effectiveness is in question.?
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A mathematical model designed to direct spending of opioid settlement funds is at the center of a debate over whether to invest in technology to guide long-term decisions or focus on the immediate needs of people with addiction.?
The national opioid settlements don’t prohibit using money for initiatives already supported by other means, but doing so could dilute the impact.?
As opioid settlement dollars landed in government coffers, a swarm of businesses positioned themselves to profit from the windfall. But will their potential gains come at the expense of the settlements’ intended purpose — to remediate the effects of the opioid epidemic??
Want to know how much opioid settlement money your city, county, or state has received so far? Or how much it’s expecting in the future? Use our new searchable database to find out.?
Visit the “Payback: Tracking the Opioid Settlement Cash” landing page to keep up with the latest reporting.?
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