Vicksburg could get $200,000-plus from opioid suit settlement

Published 9:25 am Thursday, November 18, 2021

The city of Vicksburg could receive more than $200,000 pending the resolution of a settlement with a group of opioid manufacturers.

According to a Nov. 1 letter from the Attorney General’s office, Mississippi as a whole stands to get $200 million under the terms of the proposed settlement with manufacturers Cardinal Health, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Johnson & Johnson.

The money will be distributed by the state to the cities that have been involved as plaintiffs in the suit with Vicksburg getting $224,000 “if everything goes according to plan,” City Attorney Nancy Thomas said.

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The money is part of a landmark national opioid settlement under negotiation between the four companies and attorneys representing state and local governments.

According to a July story from National Public Radio, the settlement would provide as much as $26 billion to states and communities trying to respond to the opioid crisis.

Johnson & Johnson is a drug manufacturer, while the other three companies are distributors. The settlement, if approved, would be paid out over 17 years, according to NPR, which indicated a final deal would be sent to state and local governments that would decide whether to opt-in. The scale of payouts would be linked to the number of jurisdictions that agree to settle lawsuits.

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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