$1M In Opioid Settlement Funds For Aroostook County

$1M In Opioid Settlement Funds For Aroostook County

Introduction

Aroostook County will receive more than $1 million in settlement funds for opioid prevention initiatives.

In addition to the $1.5 million given to the County by drug maker Johnson & Johnson as part of the National Opioid deal beginning in November, the deal with CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Teva, and Allergan.

The settlements resulted from a nationwide lawsuit over the undue harm brought on by the widespread use of millions of highly addictive prescription painkillers over a period of over ten years, which sparked an unparalleled opioid crisis in the United States. Experts in medicine say that opioid addiction can set in under a few days for certain people.

As per the statistics from the Drug Enforcement Administration that showed that from 2006 to 2014, enough prescription painkillers — 41 pills per person, per day, per year — were given to Aroostook County. Every legally sold painkiller is tracked by the administration.

Cardinal Health distributed 8.5 million tablets, followed by McKesson Corporation with 5.4 million, WalMart with 4.3 million, Eckerd Corporation with 3.1 million, and Rite Aid with 2.1 million. In Houlton, WalMart distributed 2.8 million prescription painkillers, or 580 tablets per resident.

In Maine, there were 478 fatal overdoses in 2017, four of which occurred in Aroostook County. According to the Maine Monthly Overdose Report for February, the most common substances implicated were heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioids.

A part of the state's more than $130 million settlement payments were given to the County. Following York County, Penobscot County, Bangor, Kennebec County, and Lewiston, Aroostook County has the sixth-highest portion. Pelletier just submitted the necessary documentation to the Maine Attorney General's Office to ensure that the County receives the additional settlement money from CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Teva, and Allergan.

The $1,485,180 settlement payment from Johnson & Johnson will be dispersed over numerous years, up until 2038. Walmart will provide the state with $14,196,305; the County will receive $172,643 as a one-time payment. The state will receive $52,329,351 from CVS and Walgreens, with the county receiving $636,387. The payment schedule for CVS and Walgreens is 10 and 15 years, respectively. The combined amount paid by Teva and Allergan to the state is $31,787, 022; $386,566 of the sum goes to the County. According to the Maine attorney general's office, Teva's payment is spread out over 13 years, while Allergan's is stretched out over 7 years.