CT Opioid Epidemic Cash To Get Lamont's Signature

HARTFORD — The governor this week announced he expects to sign into law legislation to dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars to battle the opioid epidemic in the state.

Gov. Ned Lamont said he will soon sign a bill that will dedicate about $300 million to the cause.
The bipartisan legislation was approved in the House April 26 and in the Senate Tuesday.

“We have to do everything we can to support those suffering from addiction, and I will continue to make this a priority for our administration. I’m proud to work with such a great team of partners in Connecticut who have been working hard to fight this crisis,” Lamont said in a release issued after the state Senate passed the measure.

The funding comes from the state’s portion of the $26 billion, multi-state settlement involving several pharmaceutical companies over its roles in the epidemic. Connecticut will receive its funding in several installments over 18 years, with the first payment in July.

According to a release issued by Lamont this week, the legislation will create an Opioid Settlement Fund as a separate, non-lapsing fund. That fund would be administered by the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee with assistance from the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Settlement dollars must be deposited into this fund and it can only be used to address the opioid crisis.

Lamont thanked Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and his staff for working with his administration to develop the legislation and help get it approved by the General Assembly.

“By passing this legislation, we are writing it into law that the funding from this settlement must be dedicated only to strategies that will fight the opioid epidemic, and do it in a way that is transparent and includes input from the community,” Lamont said.

“Connecticut is about to receive millions of dollars to fight the opioid epidemic from a series of settlements with the worst offenders in the addiction industry, including Purdue Pharma, McKinsey, Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson,” Tong said.

“I fought hard throughout these negotiations for explicit guidelines to guarantee this money is spent to save lives, support victims and their families, and fight the opioid epidemic. The overwhelming bipartisan support for this legislation cements those critical safeguards and ensures these lifesaving dollars cannot be diverted or misused. Now that this legislation has passed, I am working hard to make sure survivors and families have a voice at the table and are heard at every step in allocating these funds.”