BOISE, Idaho — Each of Idaho's 44 counties and all 24 eligible cities will participate in national opioid settlements, potentially bringing $119 million to the state.
Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said Monday the counties and cities agreed to sign onto the $26 billion settlements involving the three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson.
The money would address damage wrought by opioids, which the federal government in 2017 declared a public health emergency. Idaho officials say opioid overdose deaths have been trending upward in the last several decades, increasing from just over 20 deaths a year in 2000 to 123 in 2016 and 116 in 2017.
