Ohio’s Attorney General fears the state might not be able to get the $808 million it had hoped from the proposed $26 billion national settlement with three opioid distributors.
Attorney General Dave Yost said Ohio’s share of that settlement is in limbo because not enough cities and counties have signed on.
“We need to get at least 95% of the population represented by the litigating subdivisions in Ohio on board with this. The companies, frankly, are not interested in a deal that leaves lawsuits out there hanging," Yost said.
Though the Ohio Mayors Alliance and the County Commissioners Association of Ohio support the settlement, Yost said there are holdouts, including Cincinnati and Akron.
He said if 95% of the Ohio entities don’t sign on by next Friday, August 20, the entire deal might fall apart, leaving each entity to fight on its own in court.
Ohio will get $809 million over 18 years from the national settlement, specifically with McKesson Corporation, Dublin-based Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen Corporation.
Both Franklin County and the City of Columbus voted to take part in the settlement this week. Franklin County is estimated to receive around $8.1 million over 18 years.
A substantial portion of the money must go to opioid treatment and addiction prevention.
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