Community Corner
What Should Wayland Do With Six-Figure Opioid Settlement? Forum Seeks Ideas
Wayland will receive more than $450,000 in the coming years from multiple state settlements with opioid makers and distributors.
WAYLAND, MA — Wayland will receive more than $450,000 over the next decade from various settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors, and the town is looking for ideas about how to spend the money.
The state reached settlements in 2021 and 2022 with opioid makers including Johnson & Johnson, Teva and Allergan, and distributors and pharmacies including Walmart, CVS and Walgreens. The state will receive nearly $1 billion from the settlements, and about 40 percent of that will go to municipalities as compensation for the fallout of the ongoing opioid crisis in Massachusetts.
Wayland will receive $451,505 by the final year of the settlements in 2038, but has already received over $111,000, according to state data. The funds must be used for services and initiatives related to preventing overdoses and addiction, including treatment, mental health treatment and recovery.
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A forum on the use of settlement funds will take place Wednesday beginning at 5 p.m. at Wayland Town Hall in the large hearing room.
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