Oregon gets up to $40 million in new opioid settlement with Kroger • Oregon Capital Chronicle

Oregon will receive up to $40 million to fight and prevent drug addiction as part of a national opioid settlement with Kroger.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced the deal Tuesday, which is part of a $1.37 billion national settlement with the supermarket chain over the pharmacies’ alleged role in the opioid crisis. Thirty states are part of the agreement.

The deal is the latest in a series of opioid settlements during Rosenblum’s tenure that will bring hundreds of millions of people to the state to fight the crisis. Over the past three years, the Oregon Department of Justice has been part of 10 agreements with pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, distributors and pharmacy chains that will bring an estimated $645 million to Oregon communities to combat the opioid crisis.

The money has contributed to efforts such as mobile teams that reach people with addiction, recovery centers and harm reduction, including naloxone kits that reverse overdoses and save lives.

Under this agreement, the company’s pharmacies are also required to monitor, report and share data on suspicious activity related to opioid prescribing. Kroger owns stores under its name, as well as subsidiaries including Fred Meyer and QFC stores in Oregon.

“This settlement with one of Oregon’s pharmacy giants is a critical step forward in rebuilding trust between Fred Meyer and its pharmacy customers in Oregon,” Rosenblum said in a statement.

Rosenblum made the same announcement on the same day voters chose her successor, former Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield. Although Rosenblum is leaving office, the state’s work with the opioid settlement dollars will continue.

“The funds provided will help communities across Oregon respond to and recover from the opioid crisis, although the damage done and lives lost cannot be undone,” Rosenblum said.

She also praised her team and David Hart, an assistant attorney in charge of opioid litigation and recovery/pharmaceutical fraud, for leading the negotiations.

On Wednesday, Hart spoke about the agreement with the Opioid Settlement Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Board, which administers the state’s share of the settlement’s funding.

Hart indicated that more money – and agreements – are on the horizon and that an “agreement in principle” has been reached but not yet finalized.

“There are a lot of other settlements that I can’t talk about,” he said, adding that these ongoing agreements will likely add about $10 million on top of Kroger’s $40 million.