During March 24th’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee meeting, Councilmembers will hear the city’s plan for spending millions of dollars in opioid settlement money.
As presentation materials for the meeting show, the city wants to invest in several long-term strategies, including supportive housing and wrap-around treatment services, among other priorities. Here’s what to know:
How much money and where is it coming from?
Research has shown that, for 25 years, pharmaceutical companies deceptively promoted opioid use in ways that were neither safe nor effective. That widespread industry practice contributed to unprecedented increases in prescribing, opioid use disorder and deaths by overdose
As explained by the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, companies such as Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, and Kroger are now being held responsible for the central role they played in the crisis and are paying billions of dollars to resolve lawsuits with state and local governments across the country…