New London Receives Second Payment In Opioid Settlement

NEW LONDON, CT — New London will receive a second payment of $17,567 Oct. 31 as part of a settlement struck with opioid distributors Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, according to a statement from state Attorney General William Tong. New London received a first payment of $16,715 in September.

Overall, the city will receive as much as $475,000 during the next 18 years as part of a landmark settlement.

“Over the past two years, Connecticut has led the fight against the biggest players in the addiction industry, and we have forced them to pay over $40 billion," Tong said in a statement. "That money is being put to use right now in communities across Connecticut to save lives and stop the opioid epidemic. No amount of money will ever compensate for the trauma of losing a parent or child, but towns like New London are showing that we can use this money to prevent future tragedy."

Tong was joined Wednesday by New London Mayor Michael Passero, New London Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Rheaume and members of New London’s Overdose Action Team in announcing the arrival of the $13 million in settlement funds.

Connecticut will receive approximately $300 million over the next 18 years through the settlement with opioid distributors Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson.

The settlement language explicitly states that no less than 85 percent of those funds must be used exclusively for opioid remediation, including expanding access to opioid use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery, according to the statement from Tong.

Fifteen percent of the settlement funds are going directly to cities and towns, with the remaining 85 percent going to the state.