On October 30, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced
the issuance of
Opioid Settlement Guidance to provide local governments with
suggestions for the permissible, effective, and strategic use of
opioid settlement abatement funds. According to the
press release, this guidance is intended to help local
governments maximize impact, save lives, and strengthen public
health infrastructure to tackle the opioid and fentanyl
crisis.
According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
nation has experienced the overdose epidemic in three
interconnected waves: an increase in deaths from prescription
opioid overdoses beginning in the 1990s, an increase in heroin
deaths starting in 2010, and a more recent surge in deaths from
other illicit opioids such as fentanyl.
The press release highlights that Attorney General Bonta has
secured nearly $50 billion in abatement funding through
nationwide settlements and bankruptcies. California is expected
to receive up to $4.2 billion in opioid abatement funds under
these settlements, with the bulk of these funds going to local
governments.
The guidance provides a general overview of the opioid epidemic
and the Attorney General settlements. Additionally, the guidance
outlines the permissible opioid abatement activities using
settlement funds and highlights specific prevention and recovery
efforts underway in the Counties of Kern, Los Angeles, Merced,
Orange, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa
Clara, and Tuolumne.
The Opioid Settlement Guidance can be viewed
here.
