(Media release from the Office of Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr):
Attorney General Chris Carr on Monday announced that the State of Georgia has joined the $3.1 billion national settlement with Walmart to resolve allegations that the company failed to appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at its stores and therefore contributed to the opioid crisis. By joining the settlement, Georgia stands to receive a base payment of $28 million to help fund critical treatment and recovery services for those struggling with opioid use disorder.
“The opioid epidemic has destroyed lives, families, and communities all across our state and nation,” said Carr. “By joining this settlement, we will receive much-needed resources to help support Georgians in recovery and our neighbors struggling with addiction. This is one of several actions we have taken to help combat the opioid crisis, and we will continue to do all we can to address the damage it’s caused throughout our state.”
The national settlement requires Walmart to comply with robust oversight measures to help prevent the filling of fraudulent prescriptions and flag suspicious prescriptions.
Georgia officially joined the settlement on Dec. 15, 2022. Local governments have 90 days from the sign-on date to join as well.
Walmart was not a defendant in Georgia’s ongoing litigation involving opioid distributors. Instead, the company approached the state with this settlement offer, which Georgia then accepted. In addition to Georgia, 48 other states have also entered into the settlement or had previously settled with the company.