COLUMBUS – Governor Mike DeWine and state attorney general David Yost say local governments representing most of the state’s population have signed onto a plan for dividing any future money from drug companies being sued over the toll the opioid addiction crisis has taken on communities.
More than 100 local governments representing 85 percent of the state’s population, signed on the the OneOhio plan, DeWine and Yost said in a joint release Wednesday.
“It’s a simple concept, but when we are united, we are stronger. OneOhio puts us in the best position to face the drug companies did so much to destroy lives and communities when they got Ohioans hooked on their highly addictive products,” DeWine said.
It’s the first state in the country to have such a plan. But so far, no settlement that would apply has been finalized.
Under the plan, more than half of the funds would go to a foundation that would allocate money to address the state’s addiction and overdose crisis.
“Our state is facing an opioid addiction crisis, and our community has been particularly hard hit. The City of Columbus is hopeful that by joining forces and uniting as a state, the OneOhio plan will bring us swifter resolution that will ultimately provide much-deserved and needed resources to save lives. We must hold the drug manufacturers and distributors responsible for their role in this epidemic,” said Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein.
Under the plan, 30 percent of the total settlement amount would go directly to 2,00 local governments for community recovery and 15 percent to the state to use for addiction prevention and treatment.
The largest share — 55 percent — will be set aside for the creation of a statewide foundation that will fund planning for local communities that continue to address the crisis.