Nessel announces new opioid settlement website

A new website dedicated to the distribution of opioid settlement funds for Michiganders is up and running.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the new website on Wednesday, which she said would serve as a one stop shop for both residents and local units of government searching for information about the $1.6 billion settlement, half of which will be distributed directly to municipal governments and the other half to the state government’s specially designated fund, The Michigan Opioid Healing and Recovery Fund.

“When joining the national settlements, we knew we didn’t want a repeat of the tobacco settlements – where the money went into the General Fund and wasn’t directly spent on nicotine prevention and remediation – and we also didn’t want the money to get stuck in political limbo while local communities were hurting,” said Nessel. “I committed, not only to use the resources of my department to maximize the distribution amounts Michigan received, but to also serve as a resource to ensure the money is being spent on medically proven solutions which best meet the specific needs of each community.  This website is just one part of that commitment.”  

Nessel said in a release that since taking office in 2019, she has been focused on holding accountable those responsible for creating and fueling the opioid crisis, resulting in settlements with McKinsey & Co., Distributors (Cardinal Health, McKesson, Inc., and AmerisourceBergen), Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical, Allergan Pharmaceutical, CVS, Walmart, and Walgreens. The money is distributed to the state and local units of government for opioid-use disorder treatment and remediation.  

According to the MDHHS the opioid death rate in Michigan between 2000 and 2020 increased on average 13.9% each year. Michigan reported 2,998 overdose-related deaths in 2022.