HELENA – Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today that Montana will receive nearly $4 million in a multi-state settlement with Kroger – a national grocery chain which operates subsidiaries in Montana, including Smiths and Loaf 'N Jug – to resolve the company's role in the prescription opioid crisis.
Montana will receive $3,850,671 of the total $1.37 billion national settlement that will be distributed among 29 other states. Payments to the states are anticipated to begin early next year. The settlement money will be used for opioid abatement which could include programs like opioid use disorder treatment, providing Narcan to emergency or first responders, and drug treatment courts for defendants with opioid-related substance abuse problems or histories.
"Those responsible for the opioid crisis in our country must be held accountable. Opioids have killed hundreds of Montanans and even more struggle with addiction," Attorney General Knudsen said. "This money will be put to good use to help us save lives."
The settlement resolves allegations that the company failed to properly oversee the dispensing of opioids at its pharmacies. In addition to monetary payments, Kroger has agreed to injunctive relief that requires its pharmacies to monitor, report, and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions.
The opioid epidemic has led to hundreds of prescription overdose deaths in Montana over the last 20 years. These deaths—and the impacts on thousands of Montanans who have struggled with opioid addiction—have created considerable costs for our health care, child welfare, and criminal justice systems. More significant than the dollars and cents in damage to the state, the impact on opioid addition, substance use, and overdose deaths have torn families apart, damaged relationships, and devastated communities.
Attorney General Knudsen has been combatting the opioid crisis in Montana since taking office. In September, he announced a program to put life-saving opioid reversal kits in middle and high schools across Montana. In February, he was part of national settlement in which the state received $1 million with Publicis Health to resolve investigations into the global marketing and communications in the prescription opioid crisis.
In 2022, he announced a massive $80 million settlement with the nation's three major pharmaceutical distributors accountable for their roles in fueling the national opioid epidemic and the harm it has caused. In 2021, Montana received $1.9 million from a settlement with McKinsey & Company, one of the world's largest consulting firms, regarding the company's role in working for opioid companies, helping those companies promote their drugs, and profiting from the opioid epidemic.
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