As NY reaches settlement with J&J over opioid crisis, coalition of addiction advocates unite to call on NY Governor Cuomo to enact the bipartisan Opioid Settlement Bill.
With the opioid settlement bill looming on the Governor’s desk, the state of New York has reached an agreement of $230 million with J&J over its involvement in the opioid crisis with subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the agreement also requires J&J to pay $30 million more in payments in the first year if the New York state executive chamber signs legislation into law creating an opioid settlement fund. If that legislation becomes law, New York would be eligible to receive more than half of total payments, or more than $130 million, as soon as February 2022.
Overdose deaths involving opioids have killed more than half a million people over the past two decades. This public health crisis has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with some counties like Albany reporting an increase of 60% in drug-related overdose deaths.
Shatterproof’s VP of State Policy, Courtney Hunter, reiterates the importance of signing this bill into law:
“The dollars from the opioid litigation are not a gift to the states. They are the representation of the devastation caused by the opioid companies. These dollars signify the millions of families negatively impacted by addiction: our children, our sisters and brothers, our friends, and our families.”
We strongly urge the Governor to sign A6395/S7194 into law, to protect these dollars by establishing a dedicated fund and ensuring money is not diverted away for other uses unrelated to the addiction crisis.
The additional financial resources available to jurisdictions will be a major step forward in this effort. We look forward to working with the Governor and his office to address this critical issue.
Coalition of groups includes:
Alcohol and Substance Abuse Providers of New York State (ASAP), Association for Community Living, Inc., Bronx Council on Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders, Coalition for Behavioral Health, Coalition of Medication-Assisted Treatment Providers and Advocates (COMPA-NY), Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities, Inc., Families Together in NYS, Friends of Recovery- New York, HEAL Chapters of Onondaga, Madison, and Onondaga Counties, Helio Health, Horizon Health, Legal Action Center, Mental Health Association of New York State, NYS Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health, New York State Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, Save the Michaels, Shatterproof, Treatment Community of America- New York (TCANY), Truth Pharm (Binghamton), Outreach New York
