The Opioid Settlement Project
Opioid Settlement Lawsuits and Trust Fund
Over the last few years, several large companies working in the pharmaceutical industry have entered settlement agreements with numerous plaintiff states and other claimants. The State of Hawaiʻi settled most of its legal claims against these companies and is expected to receive approximately a total of $150 million, by annual payments, through the year 2038.
The settlement agreements’ terms require the State of Hawaiʻi and our counties to utilize the settlement funds to conduct statewide abatement and remediation from the harms illicit fentanyl, misused opioids, and other substances have caused to our communities.
Opioid Settlement Project
The Department of Health (DOH) established the Opioid Settlement Project (OSP), a special initiative managed by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD). Under the supervision of the DOH’s Behavioral Health Services Administration (BHSA) and with advisement from the Hawaiʻi Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (HOSAC), OSP is responsible for allocating settlement funds toward opioid abatement efforts across the state. These funds are dedicated to supporting treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and other life-saving programs in communities affected by the opioid crisis. OSP is tasked with managing the settlement trust fund and serves as the fund’s primary point of contact.
Memorandum of Agreement
In 2022, the State and the mayors of the four counties signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). The MOA defines Opioid Settlement Funds as “all funds allocated by the National Settlement Agreements and Plans of Reorganization to the State or Local Governments for purposes outlined in the National Settlement Agreements and Plans of Organization for opioid remediation activities or restitution, as well as any repayment of those funds and any interest or investment earnings that may accrue while the funds are temporarily held before being expended on opioid remediation strategies.”
According to the MOA, 85% of the funds will be allocated to the state to address opioid-related remediation, while the remaining 15% will be distributed directly to the four major counties.
The Hawaiʻi Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee was created to help guide the State and the counties in the use of opioid settlement funds and to do so in a manner that is consistent with the terms and conditions of the MOA.
Efforts to Address the Opioid Crisis with Settlement Dollars
Funds from the opioid settlement trust are targeted at strategies that reduce harm, improve addiction treatment access, and expand substance use prevention efforts.
Visit our Opioid Settlement Fund and our Naloxone Statewide Distribution data dashboards to learn more about how Hawai’i is addressing the opioid and overdose crisis in our state.
Opioid settlement fund distribution
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State
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Counties
Advisory committee on spending include designees from:
- Each County
- Department of Health
- Department of Education
- Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- University of Hawai’i School of Medicine