(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued the following statement regarding the forthcoming settlement between Purdue Pharma and governments, including the State of Ohio, to resolve opioid litigation filed when DeWine was Attorney General:
“As Attorney General, I filed Ohio’s lawsuit against Purdue Pharma on May 31, 2017, making Ohio just the second state to sue an opioid manufacturer. While it took far too long, Purdue Pharma has finally settled so that they can begin paying to clean up the mess they created when they worked to convince the public that their prescription opioids were not addictive. They were addictive, and tens of thousands of Ohioans have died or had their lives destroyed by those addictions. The collateral damage has been significant: traumatizing children, stretching our foster care and social service systems excruciatingly thin, and increasing the burden on law enforcement.
“Now that this settlement is close to being finalized, we must turn to focus on how to work to combat this damage using these settlement funds. The plans I have laid out regarding prevention education, treatment, law enforcement task forces, and support to our local governments and social services should be further funded through this settlement so it can immediately begin making a positive impact from across Ohio. Money from this settlement must be used to fund our long-term commitment to reducing substance use disorders and improving the health of vulnerable Ohioans.
“There are other manufacturers and distributors who have yet to do the right thing and settle to help fund cleaning up the damage that we believe the evidence shows they caused. I urge them to follow this lead and settle with Ohio promptly.”