Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and a team of negotiators from around the country have set the table for a national agreement to hold Walmart accountable for its role in the opioid-addiction crisis, according to a spokesperson with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
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The preliminary deal stems from Walmart’s failure to properly oversee how its nationwide pharmacies dispensed of opioids, the spokesperson said in a media release shared with News Center 7 Tuesday.
The agreement says Walmart will provide $3.1 billion to the participating states, cities, counties and other local governments for recovery efforts, the spokesperson said. This agreement comes after Yost and other state attorneys general investigated into Walmart’s distribution of fraudulent and suspicious prescriptions.
“This agreement puts financial incentives in place that could make a real difference in the lives of Ohioans,” Yost said.
The money will be divided among the states that sign on to the agreement and given to local governments, the spokesperson said. Ohio is expected to see more than $114 million of those funds. Those funds must be used to provide treatment and recovery services to people struggling with opioid addiction.
As part of the settlement, Walmart would also be required to make major improvements in the oversight of its pharmacies, the release said.
“Anytime we can get a worldwide company like Walmart to implement systematic changes that will benefit Ohioans long-term, I’d say that’s a significant win,” Yost said in the release. “This resolution brings meaningful relief to our communities in need. Let’s put this money to good use.”
The states that joined Yost in leading the negotiations with Walmart were the attorneys general from North Carolina, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, New York, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Texas.
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States have until the end of this year to sign on to the agreement, the spokesperson said in the release. A minimum of 43 states signed on is required.
Local governments will then have until March of 2023 to join the deal, the spokesperson said.