New Jersey will disburse $641 million over the next 16 years to confront opioid addiction, using an influx of cash from the settlements between Johnson & Johnson and three other companies over their role in the addiction crisis, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday.
Murphy announced the settlement funds during a roundtable discussion with stakeholders and acting Attorney General Matt Platkin.
The funds will be used on opioid treatment, recovery, prevention, first-responder support programs and research. Murphy and Platkin pledged that the money would not be used to plug budget holes and would not supplant any current funding.
Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson announced the settlement plan last year, but the deal was contingent on getting participation from a critical mass of state and local governments.
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The four companies notified lawyers for the governments in the case last month that their thresholds were met, meaning money could start flowing to communities by April.
Taken together, the settlements are the largest to date among the many opioid-related cases that have been playing out across the country. They are expected to provide a significant boost to efforts aimed at reversing the crisis in places that have been devastated by it, including many parts of rural America.
