The Minnesota Senate passed legislation to approve the terms of an opioid settlement negotiated by various Attorneys General throughout the country.
According to the agreement, major pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors settled on a $26 billion payout over the next 18 years. Minnesota could see up to $337 million of those funds.
“When we passed our groundbreaking opioid bill of 2019, we knew of pending litigation but were uncertain of the mechanics of how those funds would arrive in Minnesota,” said State Senator Julie Rosen (R-Fairmont). “This bill will guarantee that communities can receive those funds as soon as possible.”
“The opioid crisis devastated families across Minnesota. The historic settlement agreement with opiate manufacturers will never undo the damage they caused, but it will help those families and our communities recover – and, hopefully, help us avoid a crisis like that ever again. The faster we can get these resources out the door, the better it will be for everybody.”
The new legislation breaks down how the state will appropriate the money. For example, funds could be used for opioid treatment and recovery centers and educational campaigns.
According to the release, money “will be divided among local governments using a formula based on federal data on opioid use disorder, overdose deaths, and opioid shipments into Minnesota.”
“There is no amount of money that can ever make up for the death and destruction these companies caused in the pure pursuit of profit. No amount of money can bring back the nearly 5,000 lives we lost in Minnesota or fully restore the communities devastated in every part of our state,” Attorney General Keith Ellison said when announcing the settlement. “But it is still critically important to hold these companies financially accountable for their role in creating and extending the opioid crisis, and this agreement does that and more.”
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Minnesota Sun and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
