Prosecutor Angler: Judge will direct how funds from opioid settlement are to be used

CAMBRIDGE − Earlier this month, the Guernsey County commissioners met in executive session to discuss next steps in the Cincinnati-based Kroger opioid settlement. In September, the grocery chain agreed to pay out $1.2 billion to states and subdivisions across the country. The agreement came after Kroger was accused of improperly monitoring prescriptions of the addictive painkillers in its store pharmacies and thereby contributing to the opioid crisis, according to multiple reports.Kroger also agreed to pay $36 million to Native American tribes and $177 million to cover attorney’s fees and costs.For its part, Kroger has said publicly that the settlement was not an admission of wrongdoing or liability.

Guernsey County Commissioners were contacted by The Daily Jeffersonian about the settlement funds but they declined to comment saying they have been advised not to discuss the case, according to clerk Michele Long.Guernsey County Prosecutor Lindsey Angler said the case remains open and ongoing and some details of the settlement cannot yet be disclosed.“The prosecutor’s office is not directly handling the lawsuit,” said Angler, who took office in January 2021. “Our office represents the county’s interest in the lawsuit. These lawsuits last for years and often end up in business bankruptcy.”Angler said Guernsey County joined the ongoing lawsuit around 2018. She said once it’s finalized the judge will direct the county how the settlement funds can be spent.“For example, you can’t spend opioid funds on amusement parks. There are going to be limitations set by the court,” said Angler. “The money received will have to be spent on combating the opioid crisis and address the needs of our community.”

Angler said the fallout from the opioid crisis continues to negatively affect the Guernsey County community from healthcare to education.“It’s bad,” she said. “It’s not just the effect on the user, which is tragic, but also how it has spread throughout our community.

“The biggest impact we’re seeing now is on the children of users eight to nine years after the height of the opioid crisis,” said Angler. “Our schools are further tasked with educating these kids who have all types of challenges because of their prenatal opioid exposure.”She said that issue has caused an uptick in children’s services, more intervention specialists, and probation departments increase in supervision.“People think it only affects the user: That’s absolutely untrue,” said Angler. “It’s everywhere and it impacts so much more of our community than people realize. These unseen consequences are really what’s hurting our community.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Prosecutor Angler: Judge will direct how funds from opioid settlement are to be used