Hundreds of Ohio cities, with the governor and attorney general, are nearing an agreement on how to divide money that might come from a federal case against opioid manufacturers and distributors, an attempt to ensure fairness in the allocation of a potential settlement as recompense for ravages of the nation’s opioid epidemic, the Washington Post reports. Cities and towns have until March 6 to sign onto the “One Ohio” agreement. It would guarantee that the state presents a united front during negotiations, with municipalities directly receiving 30 percent of any settlement funds. The state would receive 15 percent, and 55 percent would go toward a new nonprofit foundation that would support research into, and education about, opioids.
Thousands of municipalities and almost every state have sued companies that made and distributed opioid painkillers. Most cases are consolidated in Cleveland. Ohio is the first place where a team negotiating on behalf of the entire state has been established to ensure equitable payments in the event of a pretrial settlement. Ohio has been particularly hard-hit by the opioid epidemic, which has killed more than 400,000 people across the U.S. since 1000. In 2017, the state had the second-highest rate of opioid overdose deaths, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “It is our hope that this or a similar approach can be replicated for other states across the country,” said Frank Gallucci, a lawyer for 19 Ohio local governments.