Gov. Doug Burgum has set up a committee that will determine how the funds should be distributed and used.
North Dakota will distribute to local governments up to $62 million that will come from opioid lawsuit settlements.
Gov. Doug Burgum announced Friday, Jan. 6, the creation of a seven-person opioid settlement advisory committee. The group will receive and distribute funds received through 11 settlement agreements with 13 opioid manufacturers and distributors, according to a news release.
“The opioid epidemic has caused significant harm to individuals, families and communities across North Dakota, and it’s important that we immediately begin putting these settlement funds to use to address opioid abuse and support recovery from the disease of addiction,” Burgum said in a statement.
North Dakota lost 131 people to overdoses in 2021, according to state numbers. That included 35 deaths in Fargo.
Burgum said the settlements were part of an effort to hold companies responsible for their part in furthering the opioid crisis.
The state is expected to receive $62 million over the next four to 18 years, with the funds to be used to combat opioid abuse, the release said.
The state was required to set up a mechanism to receive and hand out the funds so it could determine how the money should be used, according to the release. North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley played a role in recommending the committee.
Burgum has appointed six voting members and a non-voting chairperson to the committee. They include Pam Sagness, director of the Behavioral Health Division in the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services; Col. Brandon Solberg, superintendent of the North Dakota Highway Patrol; Jonathan Holth, managing director for the Office of Recovery Reinvented; Aaron Birst, executive director of the North Dakota Association of Counties; Mary Korsmo, executive director of the North Dakota State Association of City and County Health Officials; and Stephanie Dassinger Engebretson, deputy director and staff attorney for the North Dakota League of Cities.
Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller will chair the committee.
Tags: Harm Reduction Opioid Epidemic Settlement
