AG Camacho details how Opioid Settlement will support drug rehabilitation efforts and data collection.

May 21, 2021 | Comments Off on AG Camacho details how Opioid Settlement will support drug rehabilitation efforts and data collection.

May 21, 2021- Tamuning, Guam- The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has announced how the funds secured from a settlement with a marketing firm that contributed to the opioid epidemic will support drug rehabilitation efforts in Guam.

Earlier this year, the OAG secured $279,049.44 as part of a settlement with McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s largest consulting firms who worked for Purdue Pharma and other opioid companies, and who contributed to the opioid epidemic by promoting deceptive marketing schemes. This was the largest non-tobacco settlement Guam has ever received and the first multi-state opioid settlement to result in substantial payment.

The OAG has released a breakdown of how the first installment of $231,000 will go towards directly assisting programs that are currently helping people struggling with addiction, gathering data on just how extensive the drug problem is on Guam, and developing outreach and education on addiction:

● $115,000 for additional staff for the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program at the Department of Corrections;
● $16,000 to assist direct service providers and programs;
● $60,000 for toxicology testing to gather more data on the prevalence of opioids and other illicit drugs
● $40,000 to develop an educational outreach and prevention campaign;

“From my first day in office, I’ve said that investing in drug treatment and rehabilitation is essential to the holistic approach we must take to combat the drug problem in Guam and create safer communities,” said Attorney General Leevin T. Camacho. “These resources are a result of our decision to take action against those who contributed to the opioid epidemic, and we are committed to being transparent about how those resources are helping our island.”

The OAG is actively involved in other opioid-related lawsuits. These efforts are led by Deputy Attorney General Fred Nishihira and Assistant Attorneys General Janice Camacho and Joseph Perez.