BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho officials on Friday announced a $119 million settlement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors over their role in the opioid addiction crisis.
Republican Gov. Brad Little and Republican Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said it's the second-largest consumer settlement in state history, trailing only the 1998 national tobacco settlement of $712 million.
An Ada County judge on Wednesday approved the settlement that Little and Wasden had agreed to in August. The state's participation made it eligible for a minimum of $64 million. It also opened the way for local government entities to take part, and all those eligible did so by the end of December, boosting the amount to $119 million.
The money will address damage wrought by opioids, which the federal government declared a public health emergency in 2017. Johnson & Johnson and the three distributors finalized a national $26 billion settlement in February.
"Idaho has made significant strides in recent years in combatting the opioid crisis, and the culmination of our legal action against opioid manufacturers – led by Attorney General Wasden and his team – now offers additional resources," Little said in a statement. "Altogether, our investments and activities will turn the tide on the opioid crisis."
