Earlier in July, Attorney General Schmitt announced this historic settlement with Johnson & Johnson and major distributors that could potentially total just over half a billion dollars for opioid treatment and abatement in Missouri – the largest victim-centric settlement in the history of Missouri.   “Last month, I announced that my Office has secured the largest victim-centric settlement that the state of Missouri has ever seen: just over half a billion dollars that will go directly to opioid abatement and treatment. This money will provide desperately needed funding for treatment and recovery programs, as well as needed funding for law enforcement, drug courts, and other resources,” said Attorney General Schmitt. “Now that I have signed the term sheet for both settlements, it’s critical that subdivisions sign on to our settlement. In order to get the full amount of money to aid victims of opioid addiction and abuse, my Office will proactively engage stakeholders and subdivisions to ensure full sign on. My Office will never stop working to fight the opioid crisis and provide needed financial aid to opioid abatement and treatment programs and services across the state.”   The signing of the term sheets is an important step in finalizing the settlements. Over the next several months, the focus will be on achieving full subdivision sign-on to both settlements to unlock the full potential of the settlements for Missouri. If all subdivisions do not sign on, the amount received by Missouri could be halved.   To achieve this sign-on, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office launched the “Fighting Addiction, Saving Lives” program to encourage subdivision sign-on. Through a “full court press,” the Attorney General’s Office plans to proactively engage a number of stakeholders, and will launch a social media campaign that will include graphics, video testimonials, and more.   The “Fighting Addiction, Saving Lives” program also has a website at ago.mo.gov/opioidsettlement that has information about the settlements and will be updated with social media resources and subdivision sign-on statistics.   Photos from the opioid settlement announcement can be found here: https://flickr.com/photos/146566231@N08/albums/72157719592802494   Pictures of the Attorney General signing the term sheets can be found below.