A.G. Yost proposes constitutional amendment on potential opioid settlement

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office has distributed a proposed state constitutional amendment, which voters would need to approve, to ensure a large part of the money obtained through a swath of opioid lawsuits would go toward treating addiction and its corresponding problems  (Source: “AG Dave Yost’s office’s new plan to divvy up potential opioid money met with skepticism from Gov. Mike DeWine,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Dec. 5, 2019).

The proposed amendment, referred to in a memo written Monday as the “All Ohio” plan, would pool money obtained through any mass settlements and provide strict guidelines on how it could be used. It would create a nonprofit “Ohio State and Local Government Opioid Crisis Recovery Foundation” to distribute settlement money among 19 regions around the state. A portion of the money would be invested.

However, the proposal is far from a sure thing. The odds of it making the ballot for an election in March, the next one scheduled, are slim, as Gov. Mike DeWine is skeptical about the timing of the proposal.

The measure also caught off-guard a team of lawyers representing cities and counties, who have been in talks with the attorney general’s office since October on how to deal with potential settlement money.

DeWine feels the measure is “premature" because the talks on how to divvy up any potential money from opioid manufacturers and distributors continue, spokesman Dan Tierney said.