For Immediate Release:
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Contact: Nazneen Ahmed
919-716-0060
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein on Thursday visited Onslow County and met with local leaders to discuss the funds the county will receive from the $26 billion national settlement that Attorney General Stein helped secure from three drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson. Senator Michael Lazzara, members of the Onslow County Board of Commissioners, Onslow County Sheriff Hans Miller, Jacksonville Mayor Sammy Phillips, and Onslow County District Attorney Ernie Lee participated in the conversation, among others. Onslow County and the city of Jacksonville have already been sent the first two payments from the national agreement and will receive more than $11 million in all.
“Onslow County is home to dedicated leaders who are fighting the opioid crisis and helping to save lives,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “I am encouraged by their commitment to working together and using these funds effectively to help people get healthy. I look forward to continuing to partner with Onslow County’s community to turn the tide on this deadly epidemic.”
In North Carolina, 114 local governments are receiving payments from the $26 billion national opioid agreement with the nation’s three major drug distributors (Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen) and Johnson & Johnson. Eighty-five percent of these funds will go directly to North Carolina’s local communities to support treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and other strategies to address the opioid epidemic. The balance will go to the state for the same purposes. Attorney General Stein also recently announced agreements in principle with drug manufacturers Allergan and Teva, which would bring another $6.6 billion funds nationally to fight the opioid crisis.
More information on the payment schedule for local governments is available through the Community Opioid Resources Engine for North Carolina (CORE-NC). CORE-NC includes statistics on the opioid crisis in North Carolina and will serve as an information clearinghouse for reports on the use and impact of opioid settlement funds for the duration of the 18-year settlement. The state and local governments are required to report all investments publicly so that all North Carolinians can review them.
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