Meeting with Attorney General’s Office re: Opioid Settlement

March 9, 2020

Earlier today advocates representing both substance use

disorder/addiction and mental health provider organizations met with a

key representative from Attorney General Letitia James office.  Our

topic was the Opioid Settlement and our objective was to discuss the

dramatic and far reaching impacts the Opioid Epidemic has had on the

children, adults, families and communities we serve, and the

significant unmet needs of the same.

A press release has also been sent out by the group.

It is possible that the thousands of Purdue Pharma opioid lawsuits

filed by Attorneys General in 50 states across the country may result

in a settlement prior to the trial (scheduled to begin here in New

York later this month).  Until recently, a broad national opioid

settlement seemed elusive. Since 2013, when the first municipal

lawsuits were filed, the defendants largely refused to negotiate. But

now, continuing bad publicity, legal expenses in the hundreds of

millions and the imminent specter of jury trials have begun to force

defendants’ hands. March 20, the start of the trial between New York

State and two counties against manufacturers and distributors, looms

large. Other trials are on the runway this year in Tennessee,

California and Ohio.

The advocates in the room began by extending our thanks to Attorney

General James and all of her staff for the strong position they have

taken – that it is simply unacceptable for the funds resulting from a

settlement to wind up going into the state’s general fund.  We

advocated for the funds to be directed to prevention, treatment,

recovery and harm reduction programs and services to include services

for those with co-occurring disorders and for children that have

suffered adverse childhood experiences / other traumas resulting from

exposure to a family member/s with an active addiction disorder.  We

talked about access to care and the extremely limited resources

currently available to address the immediate, longer-term and

generational impacts of the Opioid Epidemic.  And we discussed the

crisis associated with our workforce shortages and what this

settlement money could mean to individuals and families seeking our

assistance.

It was an excellent meeting.  It was very clear to all of us that we

had been ‘heard’ and we intend to stay close to the AG’s Office and be

of service in any way possible.