DOVER, Del. - Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings has announced that Delaware will be getting an estimated $11.8 million from a $3.1 billion settlement with Walmart for their role in the national opioid epidemic.
According to the Attorney General, Walmart did not appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at their stores, which is the reason for this settlement.
“Delaware has made real progress in the fight against substance use disorder, but families from Claymont to Selbyville are still paying the costs of the opioid epidemic,” said Attorney General Jennings. “My office’s mission is to secure accountability for the families of this state: first from the manufacturers and distributors who brought opioids into our communities, and now from the retailers and pharmacies that sold them. This $3.1 billion agreement will change Walmart’s practices, and it will change lives across this country. I’m grateful to the team in our office and our fellow attorneys general who fought tirelessly to secure these resources and to make a change for our neighbors.”
Aside from the $3.1 billion, the Attorney General says that Walmart stores will have to implement broad, court-ordered requirements, including robust oversight that helps prevent fake prescriptions and flag suspicious ones.
According to the Attorney General, both parties believe that the settlement will get the support of the required 43 states by the end of 2022, letting local governments join the deal during the first quarter of 2023. She says that details about how the money will be distributed will come in the future.
Jennings also notes that similar negotiations are happening with Walgreens and CVS.
Other than Jennings, other Attorney Generals negotiating the settlements include Attorneys General of North Carolina, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Texas.
