Money

A drug policy reform group said the foundation set up by the state to spend more than $400 million in opioid settlement money on substance use treatment programs isn’t being transparent about how it will do that.

As billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlements are starting to flow to governments, families and advocates impacted by the opioid crisis are pushing for a meaningful say in how the money will be used.

As states and localities begin receiving the money, advocates are pushing for it to go toward public health programs, and to avoid some practices that emerged around the 1990s tobacco settlement.

As Walmart faces a tower of lawsuits accusing the company of fueling the opioid epidemic, the retail chain said the accusations are "misguided and dangerous" because they corrode patient's trust in pharmacists and physicians.

What You Need To Know: Opiate-overdose deaths in Summit County are not declining despite the work of multiple agencies. Since 2020, the number of opiate-related deaths has risen 70%. The county recorded an 18% increase in overdose deaths among African American women. Agencies are focused on assisting drug users through harm-reduction and support strategies.

As cleveland.com’s Gretchen Kuda Croen recently reported, modeling suggests that a tidal wave of drug overdose deaths is coming – to Ohio and the nation. And with Ohio, the seventh most populous state, ranked No. 4 in drug overdose deaths in 2020, there’s little doubt that the state and region will again be in the eye of this tragic storm.

A federal judge in Cleveland awarded $650 million in damages Wednesday to two Ohio counties that won a landmark lawsuit against national pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, claiming the way they distributed opioids to customers caused severe harm to communities.

A federal judge has ruled that America's three largest pharmacy chains must pay $650.5m (£539.8m) for helping fuel a painkiller crisis in two Ohio counties.