Mayor Miro Weinberger Statement on Settlement with Opioid Distributers
Burlington, VT – Yesterday, Attorney General Donovan announced a settlement agreement with three distributors of opioids sued last year by his office – Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBerge – and Johnson & Johnson. Mayor Miro Weinberger made the following statement regarding the settlement:
“While we will need to complete a detailed review before formally deciding to join this national settlement, I am encouraged by both the $23 billion size of the agreement, and the sense of urgency driving this week’s announcements. The tragic epidemic of drug overdoses, initially fueled by greed and health policy errors, continues to take the lives of far too many of our loved ones.
“In the wake of the pandemic, we are redoubling our regional efforts to expand access to treatment, break down barriers to long-term treatment, and support successful recovery for people suffering from opioid use disorder. These efforts will get a major boost if these settlement resources are allocated to existing collaborative local efforts that center the needs and voices of the people harmed by opioids.”
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