Nonprofit created to oversee Ohio opioid settlement funds begins work

The decision of how Ohio will spend hundreds of millions of dollars – and maybe more – in opioid settlement money will be up to a new non-profit, whose board met for the first time on Monday (Source: “New nonprofit will decide how to spend hundreds of millions of Ohio’s opioid settlement money,” Cleveland.com, May 16).

The 29-member OneOhio Recovery Foundation Board consists of state representatives, local government leaders, addiction treatment experts and others from around the state. Under an agreement between state and local officials made in 2020, the new foundation will decide how to distribute more than $440 million (or 55%) of an $808 million settlement reached last year with the nation’s three largest pharmaceutical distributors and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson.

Under the agreement, another 30% of the settlement money will get distributed among more than 2,000 local governments in Ohio. The final 15% will go to the state, though Gov. Mike DeWine said OneOhio might also gain control over spending some of the state’s share.