For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2023
For press inquiries only, contact:
Amanda Priest (334) 322-5694
Cameron Mixon (334) 242-7491
(Montgomery) – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall sent a letter to local leaders statewide addressing the millions of dollars local jurisdictions will receive from opioid settlements for the specific purpose of abating the opioid crisis. The local cities and counties will receive approximately $300 million from the settlements that will be paid out over several years. Responding to questions and concerns from local officials, the Attorney General’s letter emphasizes the importance of implementing long-term strategies to address the crisis, as well as reinforcing the settlement terms. Any funds spent on non-approved purposes could cost the State future payments from the opioid defendants and delay efforts to combat the opioid crisis.
“We owe it to the people of Alabama to get this right,” said Attorney General Marshall. “Our strategy to adjudicate this matter separate and apart from nationwide settlements positioned Alabama to receive a larger allocation to address the opioid crisis here. We must now take a hard look at how the combined $600 million of state and local settlement funds can best be allocated, in compliance with the settlement terms, to maximize relief for our communities.”
The letter was sent to city and county officials, identifying approved settlement fund uses for abatement through education, prevention, and treatment. As the letter states, “the approved uses are designed to serve as guardrails to channel spending towards appropriate abatement strategies but are also meant to be wide-ranging enough to give you the flexibility to best address the needs of your community.” To ensure transparency and compliance with settlement terms, the Attorney General’s Office will be keeping track of expenditures and has asked for local officials to submit this information via OpioidFunds@AlabamaAG.gov.
Attorney General Marshall continued, “I am of the strong conviction that local governments know best how to combat the opioid epidemic in their communities. It is my hope that subdivisions will work with one another, and in some cases with the State, to implement a thoughtful and meaningful abatement plan that will yield regional benefits.”
Attorney General Marshall has been leading the charge to combat the opioid epidemic devastating Alabamians. From litigation to enforcement, and education, the attorney general’s efforts will bring almost $600 million over several years to the State. The funds will be allocated to state and local leaders to implement, with the advice of the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council, comprehensive plans to address the needs of many facing addiction and loss in Alabama. Attorney General Marshall will continue to be the voice and the enforcement arm against those who violated law and created this epidemic, but will also provide guidance and support to ensure settlement funds are appropriately used in compliance with the agreements.
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