The Principles for the Use of Funds from the Opioid Settlements
These Principles – endorsed by more than 60 organizations across the country – are intended to help state and local governments spend opioid settlement funds wisely. More than 25 states are using the Principles to inform their spending.
THIS WEBSITE FEATURES
- The Principles
- Tools and resources to implement the Principles, including best practices on transparency around how the settlement money is being used
- Examples of how state and local governments have used the Principles
- A national dashboard showing how states and localities are spending settlement funds
- Indicators to measure the impact of programs supported by settlement funds
- Ideas and updates on the state of the overdose crisis and best practices in settlement fund spending
$50B
Funds awarded to state and local governments through opioid litigation
The Principles
State and local government are encouraged to adopt 5 principles when spending opioid settlement funds.
PRINCIPLE 5
Develop a fair and transparent process for deciding where to spend the funding.
State and local examples
States, counties and cities throughout the country have begun investing settlement funds to abate the harms of the opioid epidemic. See examples of innovative programs, evidence-based spending, and best practices for investing settlement funds here.
See state and local funding use examples
Tools and Resources
Many factors must be considered when allocating settlement funds, including community-specific needs, perspectives of individuals with lived experience, and the existing evidence base. Explore a curated collection of reports, tools, and documents for policy makers and advocates that provide guidance on how to incorporate the Principles, conduct a needs assessment, establish a community advisory committee, monitor the impact of investments, make informed spending decisions, and much more.
Measuring impact
Program evaluations enable states and localities to determine whether settlement fund investments are achieving their desired results. Our indicators database can help decision makers identify indicators and collect the data needed to assess program effectiveness and monitor the impact of their settlement spending.
Ideas and Updates
Polysubstance Use and the Current Overdose Epidemic
Building Long-Term Treatment Capacity in Wood County, Wisconsin with Opioid Settlement Funds
Research Brief: Examining the Potential Role of Opioid Settlement Funds in the Face of Impending Federal Budget Reductions for Substance Use Disorders
Endorsing organizations
Join over 60 national, regional and local organizations who have endorsed the Principles.