Opinion: Listen: Will opioid settlement money actually go to opioid prevention? Here’s hoping
As states begin to receive money from the multitude of lawsuits and settlements the opioid makers and distributors have agreed to pay, the number of overdose deaths in the country continue to increase, reaching an all-time high in 2021. Researcher Linda Richter worries that not enough of the settlement funds, upward of $22 billion, are going toward early-stage prevention measures.
Some states are allocating these funds to law enforcement and access to overdose reversal medications. While important, these approaches address the end-stage consequences of addiction. What’s needed, she said, are efforts to prevent family instability, childhood trauma and stress, and youth exposure to addictive substances, which can significantly reduce substance use and prevent escalation to addiction and other health and social problems.
