Attorney General Peter Neronha says Rhode Island has secured around three-million-dollars in settlements with eight drug companies for their roles in creating the opioid crisis.
Neronha says the new settlement funds and previous payments are being allocated through the state's Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee.
“Every dollar of the $315 million that my Office has recovered from those that created and perpetuated the opioid epidemic goes directly towards treating and preventing substance use disorder in Rhode Island,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Through our Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, these funds are strategically allocated to organizations and agencies best equipped to help those who suffer from this disease, as well as lead the charge on prevention efforts. The good news: we are seeing real results from these efforts, from expanding the state’s in-patient and out-patient treatment capacity, to driving down overdose and overdose deaths. Three hundred and fifteen million dollars is a lot of money which can make, and has made, a huge difference. But we won’t stop until no individual, no family, suffers further from this entirely preventable disease.”
The funding is used for prevention efforts and to help those who suffer from addiction.
Just last month, the state's Office of Health and Human Services announced that Rhode Island overdose deaths have dropped 25-percent since 2022.
(Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Photo: Spencer Platt / Getty Images News / Getty Images