Greene County to use settlement on opioid programs

The Greene County Commission on Friday announced plans for its portion of the Missouri attorney general office's opioid settlement with Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ).

The county's portion of the roughly $458 million settlement reached last month is $2.1 million, to be payable over 18 years, according to a news release. Nearly $191,000 of Greene County's portion goes toward attorneys' fees.

Greene County must spend 85% of the settlement funds on opioid-related programs. The first payment is expected to be received between April and July, followed by another in the fall.

"The commission has taken this next step as part of its efforts to mitigate the damage done to the people of our community as a result of overprescribing and irresponsible use of prescription drugs," Presiding Commissioner Bob Dixon said in the release. "We will continue our efforts."

The county expects more funds through the bankruptcy proceedings of Purdue Pharma and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, as well as additional settlements from other defendants, according to the release.