As part of a settlement with the pharmaceutical company Johnson and Johnson, El Paso County will receive $682,459.00 in reparations to cover costs created by the local opioid epidemic. Members of the El Paso Community have been harmed by licit and illicit opioid use and distribution in the County and in the state of Texas costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now, those entities which are a part of the supply chain are being held accountable by communities across the State of Texas.
“Overdoses, treatment of addicts, jailed persons due to opioids are all paid for with taxpayer dollars,” said El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego. “This settlement allows us to recover some of that money to use for other necessities in our county and address the profound collateral impact caused by this epidemic."
In addition to the funds received directly by the County, an additional $4,737,575 will be available to local programs and organizations in El Paso County and Hudspeth County that have felt the economic impact of this epidemic over the years. These funds will be overseen by the Texas Opioid Council which will ensure that funds are spent fairly to remediate the opioid crisis.
The settlement is one of the largest of its kind in the state and may not be the last. Litigation against other pharmaceutical supply chain participants continues and future settlements are possible.