Ohio governments working to craft unusual opioid bargain

Ohio governments working to craft unusual opioid bargain

SeattlePI.com

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's governor, attorney general and dozens of local governments are nearing agreement on divvying up proceeds of a potentially huge settlement with the opioid industry, hoping to avoid mistakes made with the national tobacco settlement.

The so-called “One Ohio” agreement, still not final, would give local governments much of the control of the purse strings — all but cutting out state lawmakers remembered fordiverting tobacco settlement money at one point that had been intended to cover smoking-related health care costs to pay for other things.

No other state has announced plans for dividing settlements over the toll of opioids. And so far no national opioid settlement has been finalized. One with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is being worked on in bankruptcy court, and a group of three drug distribution companies and two manufacturers are working on a settlement intending to resolve all litigation against them.

Communities in Ohio would receive 30% of the money up front — double the 15% reserved for the state, and hold some long-term sway over a network of regional boards reporting to a nonprofit foundation that would manage the remaining 55%. The number of opioid deaths suffered by a community would be among criteria for determining its share.

"People agreed the Legislature really shouldn't have access to this,” said Kent Scarrett, executive director of the Ohio Municipal League.

Still, attorneys are working to address significant divisions that remain after a meeting of the parties last week. Large cities and counties, mostly controlled by Democrats, sat side-by-side at the gathering with largely GOP-led smaller cities and counties, and Gov. Mike DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost, also Republicans.

Everyone recognizes the value of presenting a unified front to a federal...

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