The Columbus Dispatch | Marc Kovac
Ohio will receive $24.7 million as part of a $573 million settlement against a firm that promoted the sales of prescription painkillers, helping to fuel an opioid epidemic in Ohio and nationally that’s led to rising overdose deaths and increasing government costs to address addiction issues.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said the funds will be directed to the OneOhio Recovery Foundation, an effort announced about a year ago to enable the state and participating counties and cities to jointly pursue legal damages against drug manufacturers and others.
“Twenty-four and a half million dollars won’t cure the opioid crisis, but it can be a start toward bringing treatment and services to people in need,” Yost said in a statement Thursday. “With consultation from Gov. DeWine, the plan is to lead by example and put the lion’s share of this money into the OneOhio Recovery Foundation so it can be put to work across Ohio.”
McKinsey & Co., a consultant that pushed sales of OxyContin for Purdue Pharma, had reached the $5 million settlement with 47 states, the District of Columbia and five territories, Yost said, with details to be filed in state courts Thursday.