With the opioid crisis still a prevalent issue that has only gotten worse since the pandemic began, local governments across Ohio are now on the receiving end of a 26 billion dollar settlement.

The money is coming from drug companies that fueled the opioid epidemic. Officials are hoping it will allow for significant changes in the crisis nationwide. However the process is on hold until local governments accept the settlement.


"We're hoping that the local governments will say that this is the best possible deal that's going to get the most money into our local communities," said Ohio Attorney General, Dave Yost. "The sooner we can get this deal inked and the money flowing through Ohio, the better off we're going to be," he said.


When the money is released, a third of it will go to the local governments while most of the remainder will go into addiciton treatment, education and prevention.

ONE Health Ohio foundation will help decide regionally, where the money will do the most good.


"Money could start to flow fairly quickly if we can get all of those pieces in place, could happen yet this year," Yost said.


Local rehab facilities like Neil Kennedy Recovery Centers tell 21 News the money will help them to enhance their services by enabling them to help more people, but they feel the families who were directly affected by the crisis should have a say in where the money is spent.


"People that have lost someone need to have a say-so here, so that, that we're answering to this in a, in a manner that is probably going to be different by each community's need," said Caroyln Givens, executive director at Neil Kennedy Recovery Centers in Youngstown. "This money can help us to never go through this again and we've got to learn from this," she said.


Givens says the money is not necessarily a solace to those who have lost someone to over-dose, but it does send a comforting message that there are funds available to aid in the road to recovery.


Yost says we should be looking for decisions from local governments within the next 30 days.