Laserfiche WebLink
<br />December 8, 2021 <br /> <br />Dear Minnesota Cities and Counties: <br />I’m pleased to announce that counties, cities, and the State of Minnesota have reached an agreement that <br />will govern how funds from recently announced settlements with opioid companies will be distributed within <br />Minnesota. In order to finalize this agreement, I am asking you to sign the enclosed State-Subdivision <br />Memorandum of Agreement (MN MOA) and also to join both settlements with opioid distributors McKesson, <br />AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health, and opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson by January 2, 2022. <br />Minnesota stands to receive more than $300 million from these settlements, the vast majority of which will go to <br />cities and counties, but we need your cities and counties to sign on to the settlements to maximize the resources <br />to fight the epidemic. Simply put, the more cities and counties that sign on by January 2, 2022, the more money <br />we will have for treatment, prevention, and a whole host of programs and strategies to abate this crisis. <br /> <br />Over the last few months, my Office has been working tirelessly with cities and counties to come to an <br />agreement on allocation and distribution of opioid settlement funds. We have been working alongside the <br />Association of Minnesota Counties, the League of Minnesota Cities, the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, <br />representatives from litigating cities and counties, members of the Opioid Epidemic Response Advisory Council, <br />the Governor’s Office, and numerous state agencies, among others. The MN MOA is the result of this work. <br /> <br />Since 2000, the opioid epidemic has cost more than 5,400 Minnesotans their lives, and has torn families <br />apart and ravaged communities. The last year has been especially hard, as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused <br />a surge in opioid overdoses, both fatal and nonfatal. No amount of money will ever be enough to make up for the <br />damage and destruction caused by these companies, but these historic agreements are at least a measure of <br />accountability, if not justice. <br /> <br />Enclosed with this letter are several documents with more information about these agreements. Additional <br />information about the settlements and how they will be implemented in Minnesota can be found on our website <br />at www.ag.state.mn.us/opioids. Also, please do not hesitate to contact my Office with any questions you may <br />have. You can send an email to opioids@ag.state.mn.us, or leave a voicemail at (612) 429-7126. <br /> <br />Sincerely, <br /> <br /> <br />KEITH ELLISON <br />Attorney General <br /> <br />Enclosures: Minnesota Opioids State-Subdivision Memorandum of Agreement <br />Executive Summary <br />One-Page Overview <br />Frequently Asked Questions <br />Checklist