Maximizing the Public Health Benefits of Opioid Settlements: Policy Recommendations for Equity, Sustainability, and...

Policy Points State and local governments are receiving over $50 billion in opioid settlement funds over 18 years to mitigate the harms from the opioid crisis. Lessons learned from the Tobacco Master Settlement of the 1990s can ensure that funds are administered according to best practices and are spent on evidence-based interventions. Recent efforts to track opioid settlement spending around the country shed light on encouraging trends such as overdose rate reductions, unmet challenges like reducing inequities, and areas in need of continued vigilance and improvement like transparency and evaluation.