GT County To Receive $3 Million In National Opioid Settlement

Grand Traverse County will receive approximately $3 million in funding from an $800 million settlement coming to the state of Michigan in a national opioid lawsuit.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel held a special press conference at the Governmental Center Monday to share an update on the payout, which settles litigation brought by states and local political subdivisions against the three largest opioid pharmaceutical distributors. The settlement will allow thousands of communities to receive opioid recovery funds used to address the crisis created by these distributors. The approximately $3 million coming to Grand Traverse County will be paid in installment payments over 18 years. The county is permitted to use the funds for a broad range of abatement uses including intervention, treatment, prevention, and recovery purposes.

"Manufacturers and distributors knowingly withheld critical information about the highly addictive nature of these medications, leading to the crisis we have today," County Administrator Nate Alger said at Monday's press conference. "We in Grand Traverse County have seen our share of the negative impacts due to the opioid addiction and we look forward to using settlement dollars to reverse the course of this epidemic."