Officials in Irvington, New Jersey, had a good idea. To raise awareness about the dangers of opioid use and addiction, the township could host concerts with popular R&B artists such as Q Parker and Musiq Soulchild. More than 6 million won was spent in 2023 And in 2024 We pay for the show and we also pay for VIP trailers for the performers. I bought cotton candy and a popcorn machine.
Most of the time, these types of community events go unnoticed. But Irvington’s concerts were notable for their funding source. Namely, a settlement from a company accused of fueling the opioid overdose crisis.
As part of a national settlement, more than a dozen companies that sold prescription painkillers are expected to pay state and local governments. Over $50 billion Over almost 20 years. The government should spend most of its windfall to fight addiction. Those who negotiated for an agreement Description of proposed use Other guardrails were installed to avoid a repeat of the Tobacco Framework Agreement of the 1990s. a negligible amount I participated in a smoking cessation program.
However, there is still a great deal of flexibility in these funds, and what constitutes a good use to one person may be considered a waste to another.
Irvington Township officials said the money was well spent because the concert reduced the stigma around addiction and connected people to treatment. But the acting state auditor Kevin Walsh The concert was called a “waste” and a “misuse” of settlement, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of Americans dying from overdoses.
Similar disputes are intensifying across the country as officials begin spending their settlement money in earnest. At the same time, the state is grappling with cuts in federal subsidies and cuts to Medicaid, the state’s public insurance program. largest payer for addiction treatment
To shed light on these discussions, KFF Health News and researchers Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Shatterproofa national nonprofit focused on addiction, has undertaken a year-long effort to document the 2024 settlement spending. The team filed public records requests, scoured government websites, extracted expenditures and sorted them into categories such as treatment or prevention.
The result is a database of more than 10,500 ways payment cash was (or wasn’t) used last year. This is the most comprehensive national resource of its kind. Some highlights include:
- State and local governments have spent or pledged about $2.7 billion in 2024, according to public records. Most of that went to investments that addiction experts deemed important, including about $615 million in treatment, $279 million in overdose and related education, and $227 million in housing-related programs for people with substance use disorders.
- Although visible, less money funds prevention efforts that experts call questionable, such as law enforcement equipment such as night vision equipment and the hiring of drug recognition magicians.
- Some jurisdictions paid for basic government services, such as firefighter salaries.
- This money is controlled by different agencies in each state, and about 20% of it is untraceable through public records.
This year’s database, which includes spending and untraceable rates, should not be compared to databases compiled by KFF Health News and partners last year due to methodology changes and state budget issues. The database cannot provide the full picture because some jurisdictions do not publish reports or account for spending by year. What is shown is a snapshot from 2024 and does not account for decisions in 2025.
Nevertheless, databases help counter trends such as: Some of the Secrets They are responsible for the confusion among those who are responsible for settlement payments and trying to track them.
Public records show that more than $237 million, or about 9% of total trackable spending in 2024, was spent on broad-based efforts to prevent addiction. This ranged from holding community awareness events like the Irvington Concert to hiring mental health counselors in schools.
A number of cases raised red flags for researchers, including:
- Held in Suffield, Connecticut 1950s style sock hopchildren and the elderly I wore a poodle skirtHe posed with an inflatable guitar and vowed not to use drugs.
- Vernon, Connecticut; Hosted a mixed martial arts demonstration.One fighter spoke about his experience with addiction.
- Hardy County, West Virginia; Spent $60,000 To repair school tracks.
“There is no evidence to support these efforts,” he said. Linda RichterHe leads prevention-focused research at the nonprofit Partnership to End Addiction.
Elected officials like the event “because it lets the community know that you did something,” she said. But unless it’s part of a larger plan that integrates other approaches, such as screening students for mental health issues or supporting parents struggling with addiction, it’s unlikely to have a lasting impact.
And once the settlement funds pay one-time expenses, the amount remaining is reduced. for strategy “We know the job,” Richter added.
School rally speakers were also popular, with three Connecticut towns spending a total of more than $30,000 on former Boston Celtic standout Chris Herren. Share his addiction story With students.
“There are 1,200 kids in the gym, and when he talks, you can hear a pin drop,” said Joe Kobza, Monroe’s superintendent of schools. He described Herren’s speech to students and parents as “very influential.”
But emotional impact isn’t necessarily effective, Richter said. The speaker often talks about how drugs ruined his life despite becoming a wealthy celebrity. “The messages are so mixed,” she said.
Many local officials have acknowledged that spending decisions are not based on evidence. But they said they meant well. And they were given little or no guidance on how to use the money.
Kelly Giannuzzi, Suffield’s former youth services director who organized the sock hop, said its goal is to raise awareness and combat loneliness.
hardy county commissioner Steven Shetrom He said it made sense to spend the money on track repairs because he saw the positive impact the sport had on his son’s life. He wanted other children to have the same opportunity.
Vernon spokesman David Owens said mixed martial arts events in the city include: kickoff to Ongoing campaignThe goal is to show people that athletics can help build relationships and avoid drugs. He said the event brought together young people who were often hard to reach.
But the town has no way of knowing whether the event attracted sustained attention.
In New Jersey, Acting Comptroller Walsh; published a report This summer, Irvington Township officials were urged to repay settlement money spent on concerts.
“Whether or not they want to throw a big party is up to them and the taxpayers,” Walsh told KFF Health News. “But they can’t use the opioid money for that purpose.”
He also suggested the concert was a political rally for Mayor Tony Vauss.
Irvington officials strongly opposed the report and unsuccessfully sued Walsh to prevent its release. “It’s misleading and completely wrong,” Vauss told KFF Health News.
Vauss said the township distributed overdose reversal medications at concerts and spread messages to seek help. At least four people were treated at the scene, the township said. suit.
“We felt like we did everything right,” Vauss said.
But some of Irvington’s studies cited in the lawsuit to support its case were found to be irrelevant. Studying in rural Ghana and graduate thesis.
Irvington officials did not respond to questions about these citations.
As this conflict and similar ones continue across the country, those affected by the crisis say it is important to remember the moral significance of the settlements.
It was said to be ‘blood money’ stephen lloydHe is an addiction medicine physician who was once addicted to opioids and has served as an expert in several opioid lawsuits.
He saw many family members lose parents, children, and siblings.
He said “I don’t know how I’m going to look in my family’s face” if this money isn’t used to prevent further losses.
Read the methodology for this project.
Henry Larweh, KFF Health News; Shatterproof’s Kristen Pendergrass and Lillian Williams; Abigail Winiker, Samantha Harris, Isha Desai, Katibeth Blalock, Erin Wang, Olivia Allran, Connor Gunn, Justin Xu, Ruhao Pang, Jirka Taylor, and Valerie Ganetsky of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health contributed to the database featured in this article.
that Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has played a leading role in providing guidance to state and local governments on the use of opioid settlement funds. The school’s faculty collaborate with other experts in the field to principles of using moneyIt has been approved by over 60 organizations.
Shatterproof It is a national nonprofit organization that addresses substance use disorders through distinct initiatives, including advocating for state and federal policies, ending addiction stigma, and educating communities about treatment systems.
Shatterproof is working with some states on projects funded in opioid settlements. KFF Health News, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Shatterproof team that produced this report are not involved in this effort.
