A 36 billion dollar settlement with opioid distributors and manufacturers will direct 325 million dollars to Louisiana over the next 18 years to help address the impacts of the opioid epidemic.
Attorney General Jeff Landry said the agreement was struck with Johnson and Johnson, McKesson, Cardinal, and AmerisourceBergen.
“What we are hoping is that this money is going to be used to abate, or slow down this particular crisis,” said Landry.
The CDC estimates that nationwide 841,000 Americans died of an opioid overdose between 1999 and 2019.
A Landry-backed legislative plan to use the money to fund an expansion in drug courts was vetoed by Governor Edwards. Landry said they’re now looking to work with local governments one on one but are disappointed by the Governor’s choice to chose “Washington-style politics”.
“So we are negotiating with them (locals) and put something in place to make sure that the money goes into the hands of those that are addicted,” said Landry.
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