Salem Awarded $1.3 Million As Part Of State Opioid Lawsuit

SALEM, MA — Salem will dedicate its $1.3 million share of the state's $526 million lawsuit against major pharmaceutical companies involved with the opioid crisis toward overdose prevention, education and treatment efforts.

Salem was one of about 150 communities across the state that joined together in a suit against Johnson & Johnson, Cardinal, McKesson and Amerisource Bergen for their roles in "creating and exacerbating the opioid surge impacting communities across the commonwealth."

"Salem will leverage these funds to expand and strengthen our existing public health efforts targeting the opioid epidemic," Salem Health Agent Dave Greenbaum said. "These resources will enable us to invest more in overdose prevention and treatment, public education, and other initiatives aimed at reducing addiction to opioids and caring for those who are suffering from this crisis."

Salem will receive between $60,000 and $150,000 starting this year each year for the next 16 years.

"This is the first major award to the city in our ongoing legal efforts to hold accountable those companies responsible for profiting off of and furthering the opioids crisis in the community, but I am hopeful it will not be the last," Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said. "Other litigation against additional companies is continuing through the legal process and may, if resolved in the city's favor, result in additional settlement amounts to fund this important work.

"Working in collaboration with our colleagues in other cities and towns, and our partners at the state level, we will hold these corporations accountable for the harm they have caused to our families and our community."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)