Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
43 <br /> RES-2021-036 <br /> A RESOLUTION BY ORANGE COUNTY <br /> APPROVING THE MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT (MOA) BETWEEN THE STATE OF <br /> NORTH CAROLINA AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ON PROCEEDS RELATING TO THE <br /> SETTLEMENT OF OPIOID LITIGATION <br /> WHEREAS, as of 2019, the opioid epidemic had taken the lives of more than 16,500 North <br /> Carolinians, torn families apart, and ravaged communities from the mountains to the coast; and <br /> WHEREAS,the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the opioid crisis, increasing levels of <br /> drug misuse, addiction, and overdose death; and <br /> WHEREAS,the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the total "economic <br /> burden" of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the <br /> costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement; and <br /> WHEREAS,the opioid epidemic has taken the lives of Orange County residents and cost <br /> Orange County a substantial amount of funds expended to combat the effects of the opioid epidemic; <br /> and <br /> WHEREAS, certain counties and municipalities in North Carolina joined with thousands of <br /> local governments across the country to file lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and pharmaceutical <br /> distribution companies and hold those companies accountable for their misconduct; and <br /> WHEREAS, representatives of local North Carolina governments, the North Carolina <br /> Association of County Commissioners, and the North Carolina Department of Justice have negotiated <br /> and prepared a Memorandum of Agreement(MOA) to provide for the equitable distribution of any <br /> proceeds from a settlement of national opioid litigation to the State of North Carolina and to individual <br /> local governments; and <br /> WHEREAS, Local Governments and the State of North Carolina anticipate a settlement in the <br /> national opioid litigation to be forthcoming; and <br /> WHEREAS,by signing onto the MOA, the state and local governments maximize North <br /> Carolina's share of opioid settlement funds to ensure the needed resources reach communities, once a <br /> negotiation is finalized, as quickly, effectively, and directly as possible; and <br /> WHEREAS, it is advantageous to all North Carolinians for local governments, including <br /> Orange County and its citizens,to sign onto the MOA and demonstrate solidarity in response to the <br /> opioid epidemic, and to maximize the share of opioid settlement funds received both in the state and this <br /> county to help abate the harm; and <br />