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11 <br /> RES-2023-022 <br /> RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF ORANGE COUNTY <br /> AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF OPIOID SETTLEMENTS AND APPROVING THE <br /> SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS BETWEEN THE STATE OF <br /> NORTH CAROLINA AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ON PROCEEDS RELATING TO THE <br /> SETTLEMENT OF OPIOID LITIGATION <br /> WHEREAS,the opioid overdose epidemic had taken the lives of more than 32,000 North <br /> Carolinians (2000-2021); and <br /> WHEREAS,the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the opioid overdose crisis, increasing <br /> levels of 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, certain counties and municipalities in North Carolina joined with thousands of local <br /> governments across the country to file lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, pharmaceutical distribution <br /> companies, and chain drug stores to hold those companies accountable for their misconduct; and <br /> WHEREAS, settlements have been reached in litigation against Walmart, Inc., Teva <br /> Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Allergan Finance, LLC,Allergan Limited, CVS Health Corporation, <br /> CVS Pharmacy, Inc., and Walgreen Co., as well as their subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, and directors <br /> named in the these Settlements; 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 Supplemental Agreement for Additional Funds (SAAF) to provide for the equitable <br /> distribution of the proceeds of these settlements; and <br /> WHEREAS,by joining the settlements and approving the SAAF, the state and local <br /> governments maximize North Carolina's share of opioid settlement funds to ensure the needed <br /> resources reach communities, 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 residents,to sign onto the settlements and SAAF and demonstrate solidarity in <br /> response to the opioid overdose crisis, and to maximize the share of opioid settlement funds received <br /> both in the state and Orange County to help abate the harm; and <br /> WHEREAS, the SAAF directs substantial resources over multiple years to local governments <br /> on the front lines of the opioid overdose epidemic while ensuring that these resources are used in an <br /> effective way to address the crisis. <br /> NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Orange <br /> County hereby authorizes the County Manager to execute all documents necessary to enter into opioid <br />