Tennessee will receive $265 million in opioid crisis funds from a settlement with Walgreens and CVS, according to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s Office.
The state’s settlement with the two companies is a part of a national multistate settlement which will see Walgreens and CVS paying more than $10.7 billion combined.
AG Skrmetti announced that agreements with CVS and Walgreens are finalized, bringing the national opioid crisis settlement total to more than $50 billion. Read more here: https://t.co/WJZbL6N4dw pic.twitter.com/o99aso3s9I
— TN Attorney General (@AGTennessee) December 12, 2022
In a tentative agreement, Tennessee will receive more than $127 million from CVS and more than $138 million from Walgreens.
“The opioid crisis continues to plague Tennesseans and we will continue to pursue its contributors,” Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in a statement. “While no amount of money will be enough to heal broken communities, we will send settlement money to the Opioids Abatement Trust Fund to assist in bringing the epidemic to a halt. This office will not let up on holding pharmaceutical companies accountable, and I commend our Consumer Protection team for their diligence.”
The funds awarded to Tennessee will be overseen by the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council, which will ensure the funds are dispersed throughout the state relating to opioid abuse, misuse, prevention, and awareness, as noted by Skrmetti’s office.
The settlement also includes a court-ordered injunction that requires CVS and Walgreens to monitor, report, and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions to help ensure a crisis of this magnitude does not occur again.
In November, a $3.1 billion national multistate settlement was reached with Walmart over allegations the company played a role in fueling the opioid crisis, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star. Tennessee will receive more than $70 million if all incentives are met with the Walmart settlement.
BREAKING NEWS: Tennessee and its local governments will receive over $70 million from Walmart after reaching a settlement over allegations the company played a role in fueling the opioid crisis. Funds will be used to help communities fight back. Read more: https://t.co/aus4CODFcm pic.twitter.com/7yPM4mCBlT
— TN Attorney General (@AGTennessee) November 15, 2022
With the newly-announced settlements with Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart, the national opioid crisis settlement total has surpassed $50 billion.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
