Indiana AG Todd Rokita touts 'monumental victory' in Sackler family, Purdue opioid settlement
In all, $7.4 billion will be dispersed to dozens of states and territories across the U.S. The Sackler family and Purdue Pharma were ordered to pay for "aggressive marketing of opioid products" that "fueled the worst drug crisis in U.S. history," Rokita said.
Rokita called the settlement a "monumental victory" for Hoosiers. In Marion County, fentanyl kills more people than homicides and car crashes combined.
Drug addiction in Indiana: What a grieving mother's story shows us about the fentanyl crisis in Indianapolis
In 2020, Purdue Pharma admitted to paying doctors to encourage them to prescribe more opioids and impeding the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's effort to fight the burgeoning epidemic. The settlement also permanently ends the Sackler family's control of Purdue Pharma, according to the Attorney General's office, and prohibits them from participating in the U.S. opioid industry.
Indiana's funds will be released over the next 15 years. Most will be dispersed in the first three years.
"This is about accountability and justice," said Rokita.
A Marion County program that alerts recipients about bad drug batches or overdose spikes can be accessed by texting SOAR to 765-358-7627.
If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health or substance abuse problems, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for help.
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Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
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Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Yahoo
D.C. Dispatch: Iowa legislators cheer fentanyl reclassification, federal spending cuts
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Washington Post
15-07-2025
- Washington Post
How states should spend all that opioid settlement money
State and local governments are about to get a lot of money to combat the opioid epidemic. They could fritter it away on nice-sounding programs — or save the most lives. Last month, attorneys general from 55 U.S. states and territories as well as the District of Columbia approved a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma, the maker of opioid painkiller OxyContin. If the settlement is finalized, the vast majority of that money would, over the next 15 years, flow to states, local governments and Native American tribes for opioid abatement. The deal would also shut down Purdue and replace it with a public-benefit company committed to combating the crisis, to be run by a court-approved board.
