{"id":681,"date":"2025-07-11T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dangeladvertising.com\/?p=681"},"modified":"2025-07-11T15:14:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T15:14:15","slug":"whos-policing-opioid-settlement-spending-a-crowdsourced-database-might-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.dangeladvertising.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/11\/whos-policing-opioid-settlement-spending-a-crowdsourced-database-might-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s Policing Opioid Settlement Spending? A Crowdsourced Database Might Help"},"content":{"rendered":"

After years of legal battles, state attorneys general won billions of dollars in opioid settlements<\/a> from drug companies accused of fueling the addiction crisis. They declared victory at press conferences, and some touted the deals during their gubernatorial campaigns<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But now that the windfall is being spent, are attorneys general doing enough to ensure it\u2019s used for the intended purposes?<\/p>\n

No, say many families affected by the overdose crisis, recovery and harm reduction advocates, policy experts, and researchers following the cash.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is blood money,\u201d said Toni Torsch, a Maryland resident whose son Dan died of an overdose<\/a> at age 24. It can\u2019t make up for the lives lost, but \u201cwe do want to make sure that it\u2019s going to count.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torsch and others affected by the crisis are increasingly worried that no one seems to be guarding the opioid settlement cash while elected officials eye it hungrily. With the Trump administration slashing federal funding for addiction<\/a> and Congress approving massive reductions to Medicaid \u2014 the largest payer for addiction care<\/a> nationwide \u2014 people fear state legislators will use the settlements as a grab bag to fill budget shortfalls.<\/p>\n

In the face of these concerns, two research and advocacy organizations are proposing a solution: a crowdsourced database to identify potential examples of misuse and prompt attorneys general to investigate.<\/p>\n

The Opioid Policy Institute<\/a> and Popular Democracy<\/a> launched a website<\/a> that allows members of the public to submit alleged cases of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement of opioid settlement funds. Submissions are reviewed by Jonathan Stoltman<\/a>, director of the Opioid Policy Institute, and then posted with details such as how much money was spent, what was purchased, who made the decision, and links to relevant news articles or budget documents.<\/p>\n

The database<\/a>, shared first with KFF Health News, includes about 150 examples to start, including $2,362 awarded by a Missouri county to its roads and bridge department and $375,600 spent on a body scanner for a Michigan county jail. The initial examples were sourced from people in recovery, advocates, and others Stoltman and his team asked to test the project. Stoltman acknowledged he\u2019ll face criticism as the primary arbiter of what qualifies as misuse for the database, but said he\u2019ll use research studies to defend his decisions.<\/p>\n

The website also shows people how to file complaints with their state attorney general and ask the office to develop a formal process for receiving and investigating such complaints.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope this is a wake-up call for state AGs that their work on this project is not done,\u201d said Frank Kearl, who co-led the effort with Stoltman and is working as an attorney at Popular Democracy until July 14. \u201cWe still have time\u201d to make changes to ensure we \u201cspend this money in a way that actually responds to the harm that was caused.\u201d<\/p>\n

The website\u2019s launch comes just over a week after New Jersey lawmakers passed a budget that gave health systems $45 million<\/a> in settlement funds despite the state attorney general\u2019s opposition<\/a>. Legislators said it would shield hospitals from the blow of federal Medicaid cuts, but harm-reduction advocates said<\/a> it gives short shrift to people with substance use disorders, whom the money was meant to serve.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers in North Carolina<\/a> and Washington, D.C.,<\/a> are also considering using settlement funds to plug gaps, and Connecticut<\/a> and Nevada<\/a> have discussed it too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not what it\u2019s there for,\u201d said Torsch, who runs a nonprofit dedicated to addiction recovery in her son\u2019s honor. \u201cWe want to make sure that money is being spent in the most responsible and effective way to help people that are still struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Last year, when Torsch heard that a western Maryland county spent some of its settlement money on guns, she reached out to her state attorney general to complain. The office said it wasn\u2019t its responsibility, Torsch said, and told her to contact the health department.<\/p>\n

She was confused.<\/p>\n

The attorney general\u2019s office is supposed to represent \u201cthe top cops,\u201d Torsch told KFF Health News.<\/p>\n

The Maryland attorney general\u2019s office declined to answer KFF Health News\u2019 questions about how it handles opioid settlement complaints.<\/p>\n

About a dozen companies<\/a> are expected to pay state and local governments more than $50 billion in opioid settlements over nearly two decades. Purdue Pharma\u2019s case, the most well known, is still wending its way through court<\/a>. But other companies, including Johnson & Johnson, CVS Health, and Walgreens, have begun paying.<\/p>\n

Although the specifics of each settlement deal vary, most require states to use at least 85% of the money on efforts related to the opioid crisis. But enforcement is left to the companies<\/a> that paid out the money. And legal experts are skeptical that the companies are monitoring state spending.<\/p>\n

Attorneys general should be enforcing that standard too, said Stoltman, of the Opioid Policy Institute. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to bang your chest about how much money you got for your state for opioids,\u201d he said, \u201cwhat are you doing to make sure that it\u2019s actually being spent well?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stoltman\u2019s and Kearl\u2019s teams surveyed attorneys general offices<\/a> in 56 states and territories to see if each office had a complaint form specific to this pot of money, explained the details needed to report misuse, and allowed submitters to track their complaints. They also searched websites of state auditors, comptrollers, and similar entities for complaint forms or procedures.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Their findings? Only three states mentioned specific processes for reporting misuse of opioid settlement money.<\/p>\n

South Carolina<\/a> and New Jersey<\/a> had links on settlement-related websites that directed people to general complaint forms. Oklahoma was the only state to have an opioid settlement-specific form<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jill Nichols, opioid response and grant coordinator in the Oklahoma Office of Attorney General, said it was created in April in response to the researchers\u2019 inquiry. As of late June, she\u2019d received one complaint, which was found to be without merit.<\/p>\n

Stoltman and Kearl said they hope the crowdsourced database will encourage more attorneys general to take an active oversight role by illustrating how much potential misuse is occurring.<\/p>\n

The Michigan attorney general\u2019s office said it plans to publish a settlement-specific complaint form this year.<\/p>\n

But some attorneys general told KFF Health News it wasn\u2019t their job to track how the money is spent.<\/p>\n

Brett Hambright, a spokesperson for Pennsylvania Attorney General David Sunday, said the state created an opioid settlement council<\/a> to take on that responsibility.<\/p>\n

In North Carolina, Attorney General Jeff Jackson\u2019s office said, settlement funds are controlled by the state legislature and local governments. \u201cOur office does not administer the funds nor do we have the power to withhold them,\u201d spokesperson Ben Conroy said.<\/p>\n

Even when attorneys general watch the money closely, their power may be limited. For example, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes went to court last year to stop the state legislature from giving $115 million in settlement funds to the Department of Corrections. But a judge ruled against her<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown\u2019s office directed KFF Health News\u2019 questions to other state agencies.<\/p>\n

Michael Coury, a spokesperson for Maryland\u2019s Office of Overdose Response, said members of the public can email the office with complaints. If the office agrees misuse has occurred, it will bring the complaint to the attorney general, who \u2014 per the state\u2019s agreement with local governments<\/a> \u2014 \u201cmay\u201d take action.<\/p>\n

As of this year, the attorney general\u2019s office will receive $1.5 million<\/a> of Maryland\u2019s opioid settlement funds annually to cover personnel and administration costs related to opioid-related lawsuits. This may involve suing more companies for future settlement deals.<\/p>\n

Torsch, the Maryland mom, said she wishes the focus wasn\u2019t just on winning more money but also ensuring that existing settlement dollars are spent well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe owe it to all the families that have been destroyed and suffered great losses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n

KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\n

USE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n

This story can be republished for free (details<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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