The fight against opioids just got a massive cash injection in Washington state. Attorney General Bob Ferguson has revealed that he's secured over $55 million for local city and county governments this month, all of it coming from the pockets of the very companies that played a role in the opioid debacle. This hefty sum marks the latest payment from Ferguson's battles with opioid distributors and manufacturers, including big names like AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, McKesson, Allergan, Teva, as well as national retail chains CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart — with Walmart making a particularly large one-time payment.
The payouts delivered to local governments, which account for half the companies' approximate $110.3 million payment to the Evergreen State this month, lay down a crucial gauntlet in the ongoing war against an epidemic that has ripped through communities with the ferocity of fentanyl through veins. The state Legislature, not one to sit back, has already earmarked the remaining half for additional opioid remediation initiatives.
In its gritty display of determination, Washington state is standing firm against the opioid crisis. Ferguson was quoted saying, "Communities on the frontlines of the opioid and fentanyl epidemic have an urgent need for resources," in a press release available on the Attorney General's official website. He assured that these funds are a promise to bolster treatment options, support the efforts of first responders, and invest in various other strategies proven to fight this affliction.
For those curious about just how much is flowing into their local coffers, the state has provided a handy chart for Washingtonians. It breaks down the allocation of funds from the Attorney General’s litigation with the clear purpose of combatting, what has become not just a state, but a nationwide health emergency. In fact, Ferguson has been a crusader, ensuring that "hundreds of millions more dollars get to those communities" as they grapple with this insidious crisis, that knows neither race, creed, nor class.
