Crime & Safety
Shrewsbury Could Get More Than $1.3M From Opioid Settlement
Massachusetts will have a total of $525 million to give to cities and towns to combat the opioid crisis after a recent settlement.
SHREWSBURY, MA — Shrewsbury will receive more than $1.3 million to pay for treatment programs related to the opioid epidemic over the next two decades following a legal settlement with four drug companies.
The money will come from the state's $525 million piece of a larger settlement with Johnson & Johnson, Cardinal, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen. Massachusetts was one of 14 states that sued those companies over fallout from the opioid crisis. The states reached a $26 billion settlement in July.
Last week, Attorney General Maura Healey said cities and towns in Massachusetts will receive annual payments for drug treatment resources through 2038. Westborough will get $1.360 million total over that period. The first payment of $153,011 will come in July, according to Healey's office. You can see the full payment schedule here.
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The lawsuits against the opioid distributors accused the companies of sending drugs to pharmacies that were selling the drugs illegally. A separate lawsuit accused Johnson & Johnson of misleading doctors about how addictive the drugs are.
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