Baltimore’s court case against two opioid companies is entering the abatement phase this week. The court will decide how much McKesson and AmerisourceBergen (now Cencora) will have to pay to mitigate the harm they cause in the city’s opioid epidemic.
The city is asking for at least $5 billion to rectify the issues in a 90-page plan it submitted to the court.
The plan says if the correct actions are taken the city can bring down overdose fatalities by 23% over the next 15 years.
“They’re showing the court they are prepared, they've done advanced planning,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Virginia. “To answer questions like ‘What are the techniques what are the procedures for abatement?’”
The plan includes Naloxone vending machines, overdose prevention sites, wound care kits and investment in drug treatment programs.
Baltimore has already set up a system for the hundreds of millions of dollars in settlement money it’s won from other opioid companies.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is setting up a robust governance structure to decide how the city will allocate the funds.
Scott said the city will initially appropriate $20 million to the health department and $42 million to 12 organizations focused on substance abuse and overdose prevention like Tuerk House and Helping Up Mission.
However, the windfall of funds will need careful stewardship to ensure it’s invested in the right areas to best help those impacted by the opioid epidemic, Scott said.
“It isn’t enough to win the funds — we need to put them to work,” Scott said Thursday morning. “This executive order will ensure that restitution funds are governed responsibly, transparently, and effectively in order to support our residents and communities most affected by the epidemic — not just during this administration, but for years to come.”
Jurors in Baltimore’s Circuit Court ruled in favor of the city and awarded it $266 million in its case against McKesson and Cencora last month.
If the verdict stays, Baltimore will have won about $668 million from companies involved in the opioid crisis.
The details of the city's settlement with Johnson & Johnson is still under wraps.
