Spokane County jurisdictions to receive nearly $5 million as part of latest opioid settlement
Jurisdictions in Spokane County will receive nearly $4.7 million as part of a multibillion-dollar settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, over their role in fueling the country’s opioid epidemic.
On Monday, the attorneys general of 55 states and U.S. territories announced a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma, which developed and manufactured OxyContin, a powerful painkiller that has proven to be highly addictive and has contributed to a wave of opioid use and death across the country.
The amount of opioids prescribed and sold in the country nearly quadrupled between 1999 to 2014, according to data from the Washington State Department of Health.
The state will receive as much as $105.6 million in funds as part of the agreement over the next 15 years, according to the Washington state attorney general’s office. Most of the funds will be distributed over the first three years and must be split equally among state and local governments.
The money must also fund programs that combat the opioid epidemic.
“The Attorney General’s Office recovery of more than one billion dollars has empowered state, local, and tribal governments to combat the opioid crisis,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement.
“Today’s agreement means even more money will flow to fund treatment centers, support first responders, and improve Washingtonians’ lives. We must do more to help communities on the frontlines of the opioid crisis and today’s settlement will do exactly that.”
The agreement will settle legal claims made by state and local jurisdictions against the company. If approved, the settlement also would end the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and prevent the family from selling opioids in the U.S.
According to the attorney general’s office, jurisdictions in Spokane County that will receive funds include:
- Spokane County – $2,925,815.
- Cheney – $65,143.
- Liberty Lake – $20,495.
- Spokane – $1,623,871.
- Spokane Valley – $35,990.
In an email Tuesday, Erin Hut, a spokesperson for the city of Spokane, said specific proposals on spending the money haven’t been determined.
Earlier this month, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown announced a proposal to use $730,000 in opioid settlement funds to cover opioid treatment, capital investments and wraparound services. The plan includes $300,000 for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome treatment for infants and wraparound services, $30,000 to help capital investments for mobile medication-assisted treatment and outreach, and $400,000 to establish an outdoor navigation program.
To date, the city of Spokane has allocated $2.4 million in opioid settlement funds.
Like the city, Spokane County has not allocated the funds from the settlement announced Monday.
The county has used money from previous settlements to fund the expansion of a 23-hour crisis relief and sobering center, long-term housing and treatment services for parents and caregivers of infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and direct treatment services, among other uses.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a bankruptcy plan for Purdue Pharma that would have awarded $6 billion to state and local governments. As the company announced an updated plan in March, Purdue board Chairman Steve Miller said in a prepared statement that following the ruling, Purdue “doubled down on our commitment to work with our creditors to design a new Plan that delivers unprecedented value to those affected by the opioid crisis.”
“We and our creditors have worked tirelessly in mediation to build consensus and negotiate a settlement that will increase the total value provided to victims and communities, put billions of dollars to work on day one, and serve the public good,” the statement reads.
In May, provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a decrease in overdose deaths attributed to opioids from an estimated 83,140 in 2023 to 54,743 in 2024.
Including the settlement announced Monday, Washington has received $1.3 billion in money from settlements from companies that contributed to a drastic increase in opioid use in the state.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the name of Spokane’s spokesperson.