Earlier this month, I wrote a blog post on the legislation that I co-sponsored in the NYS Assembly and was led by my colleague Assemblymember Carrie Woerner to ensure that any funds from opioid settlements be used for addiction services and supports. Yesterday, Governor Cuomo signed the bill into law which is welcome news. Earlier this week, NYS Attorney General Tish James announced that her office had entered into a $230 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson for their role in the opioid crisis. There are other trials underway against additional drug manufacturers and this law will direct these funds to where they are most needed.

The intent of the legislation was to be proactive in anticipating future settlements and avoiding any question of where these funds would be directed and I thank my colleagues in the Legislature for passing this bill during the legislative session to ensure that the process would be in place in a timely manner. More importantly it was critical to prioritize where funding should be targeted to which is in the areas of education, treatment and recovery without supplanting public funding already in place.

Nothing will take the pain and devastation away from the many who have suffered from the opioid crisis but making sure that these funds will be used to relieve the harm caused and to prevent additional harm is a step in the right direction toward accountability.