Missouri attorney general said a half-billion settlement will help opioid victims

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt will meet Tuesday with local health care providers to talk about the state's settlement with opioid makers that could total half a billion dollars.

All money received from the settlement will go directly toward treatment and many services for opioid addiction including support systems across the state.

Schmitt will be at Burrell Behavioral Health in Columbia on Tuesday afternoon for a roundtable discussion.

The Attorney General's Office said the settlement is with Johnson & Johnson and three other distributors: AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson.

The three distributors will pay $21 billion over an 18-year time span. Johnson & Johnson will pay $5 billion over nine years.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt said his overall goal is to keep the victims in mind, which is why officials have gone around talking to real people to try and maximize the seldom.

Throughout the meeting, Schmitt emphasized the settlement money will go towards treatment centers and addiction resources for people with addictions.

Although the Missouri attorney general's office is still deciding the exact percentage Missouri will receive out of the settlement General Schmitt is happy they have agreed on a settlement.

General Eric Schmitt said "For far too long I think this issue has been in the shadows and there are so many people that have been affected. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get people the services that they desperately need."