Agenda - Council - 12/14/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Opioid Crisis in Minnesota Minnesotans have suffered tremendously from the opioid epidemic. Opioid overdose deaths have increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary reports show 654 opioid- involved deaths in Minnesota in 2020, a 59% increase from 2019. Additional data on the opioid epidemic in Minnesota can be found on Minnesota Department of Health's opioid dashboard, located here. The dashboard contains detailed information on overdose deaths, opioid-related hospital visits, the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed, the prevalence of substance use disorder, and more. It also includes links to sources where some of the above-referenced data can be tracked on a county-level. How Cities and Counties Can Join the National Opioid Settlements On August 20, 2021, the Attorney General's Office joined historic $26 billion multistate settlement agreements with pharmaceutical distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen, and opioid manufacturer Johnson& Johnson. The parties to these settlements are states and cities and counties. Tribal nations are negotiating their own separate settlements. Additional information on the settlements can be found here and here. The settlement agreements, which remain subject to sign-on by local governments and final approval by the companies and courts, resolve investigations into the companies' roles in distributing and marketing opioids. Minnesota's maximum share of the settlements is nearly $300 million, but could be as little as half that amount if cities and counties do not sign on. On December 6, 2021 the Attorney General's Office announced an agreement with Minnesota cities and counties on how funds from these settlements will be allocated: 75%to counties and cities that sign on, and 25%to the State, to be spent on opioid abatement. In order to receive payments, cities and counties must sign the Minnesota Opioids State- Subdivision Memorandum of Agreement (MN MO& and separately sign on to both settlement agreements with Distributors and Johnson & Johnson. Cities and counties must sign on to the settlements by January 2, 2021. To join the settlements, cities and counties must visit www.nationalopioidsettlement.com and register their subdivision. Registering is a necessary step toward participation in the settlements. The notice each subdivision received by mail and email provides its unique subdivision registration code, which must be used to register. Next: Each subdivision, via its local legislative body, should adopt a resolution that authorizes a representative of the subdivision to execute the MN MOA and both subdivision settlement participation forms (Distributors and Johnson & Johnson), which are required to join the settlements. Cities and counties can obtain model resolutions by contacting the Association of Minnesota Counties or the League of Minnesota Cities, or see the models linked below. The resolutions should be submitted to the subdivision's legislative body (i.e., county commission or city council) for approval.