The City of Dallas is finally about to see its end of a payout stemming from a lawsuit settlement between pharmaceutical companies and the State of Texas.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, multiple pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors came under fire from states and local communities over their alleged role in fueling opioid addiction across the country.
After lengthy negotiations, several states arrived at settlements with the companies. For its part, Texas walked away with billions of dollars, some of which is supposed to go to local communities. Now, some of that money is starting to get paid out.
Last month, the City of Dallas received around $942,000 from the Texas Opioid Abatement Trust Fund, and city council members will meet in early May to decide how to spend the money.
The settlement payout comes at a troubling time for Dallas, where City leaders have been unable to stem the relentless tide of criminal drug offenses and fentanyl overdoses.
“People were prescribed opioids and over-prescribed them for years, and then, once they became addicted, they turned to street drugs and try to get their needs met in a different way,” said Heather Ormand, CEO of the Nexus Recovery Center, speaking with Fox 4.
Fentanyl, a dangerously potent opioid, is often mixed with other drugs to make them stronger. Many drug users do not even know they are consuming fentanyl until it is too late.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, more than a dozen fentanyl overdoses were reported in a North Texas school district. Students did not know the drugs they were buying from a local drug dealer were mixed with fentanyl. At least three students died as a result.
“It’s in about every street drug that there is … even marijuana,” Ormand told Fox 4.
The problem has gotten so bad statewide that the state legislature is moving to decriminalize fentanyl test strips so that drug users can detect whether their drugs are cut with fentanyl so they can avoid overdosing or even dying, as previously reported in The Dallas Express.
It is currently unclear whether Dallas will receive more money from the state’s abatement fund. Still, the City now has almost $1 million extra to spend on several approved tools and programs meant to fight against opioid addiction and trafficking.
