South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced that a $7.4 billion settlement reached with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, for their role in fueling the opioid crisis took effect Friday, May 1. South Dakota is expected to receive an estimated $10.1 million over the next 15 years as part of its settlement share.
“This settlement completes 10 years of diligence of hard work by our team and the Attorneys General to bring justice,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We have an extraordinary opportunity to directly hit addiction with a sledgehammer, and I encourage all efforts to do just that for our families struggling with addiction across our State.”
Under the terms of the settlement, the Sacklers are prohibited from selling opioids in the United States. The settlement delivers funds for addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery to communities across the country, with states receiving their share of the funds over the next 15 years.
South Dakota’s payments will go into the National Opioid Settlement Fund administered by the South Dakota Department of Social Services. Including this new settlement, South Dakota has obtained settlements committing approximately $100 million from companies that helped fuel the opioid epidemic, all designated for addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery.
The settlement is shared by South Dakota and 54 other states and territories, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and several U.S. territories.
By DNU staff