New York Attorney General
Letitia James has announced a $1.1 billion settlement with three of the
nation's largest opioid distributors.
The
money from Cardinal Health, Amerisource Bergen and McKesson will go to drug
abatement programs.
Multiple
states settled a lawsuit with opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma earlier this
month, which netted New York $200 million.
"Thanks to our efforts, Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Amerisource-Bergen and Cardinal Health will be required to make important changes in their conduct and that will save lives," says Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.
All of the money must be used for prevention and treatment of addiction.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone says, "These dollars are going to help lift that burden off taxpayers and help move forward with additional programs to battle the ongoing opioid epidemic."
Ryan Kiser, who was once an addict, is now part of Thrive Recovery and Outreach Center. Kiser is hoping the newfound money will be used to expand programs like Thrive.
"Recovery based services on Long Island are vital," says Kiser. "I've been through treatment. I've been through out-patient treatment. And at each point of my life many of those things kept me alive."