Opioid Crisis: Ohioans Could Vote For “Recovery Foundation”

Opioid Crisis: Ohioans Could Vote For “Recovery Foundation”

Introduction

In March, Ohioans could vote for a novel state constitutional amendment, proposed by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, to collect and distribute the millions of dollars that would be recovered from settlements with the opioids companies.

The new plan is being circulated at the highest levels of state government but is also facing many obstacles:

• The amendment must be approved by the legislature up until December 18.

• 60 of 99 in the House and 20 of 33 in the Senate that is three-fifths of each chamber should approve the amendment.

• The idea is not yet discussed by the House or the Senate GOP caucuses.

• Opposition from Governor Mike Dewine.

According to the governor, the constitutional amendment is still premature, as the state is awaiting to reach a settlement first.

Companies manufacturing opioids convinced the medical community that these medications were not addictive and were purely beneficial. This belief raised the number of prescriptions and sales unwarrantedly, resulting in a mass misuse of these drugs, to the extent that this was identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a public issue and named it an opioid crisis.

Opioid lawsuits consolidated under MDL No. 2804 (In Re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation), presided by U.S. District Judge Dan Polster.