Cities wracked by opioids close to getting $26B settlement

By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press

McMINNVILLE, Ore. (AP) — Thousands of towns across the United States that were wracked by the opioid crisis are on the precipice of receiving billions of dollars in the second-biggest legal settlement in U.S. history. The $26 billion from three drug distributors and a pharmaceutical manufacturer would address damage wrought by the opioid epidemic, which the federal government declared a public health emergency in 2017. States, counties and cities face a deadline in three weeks to sign onto the settlement, and most have agreed to do so. But a few holdouts remain, including Oregon, where disagreements have emerged between state and local government officials.