NJ Advocates Demand Hearing on Opioid Settlement Fund Spending
The New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition, joined by 50 treatment and advocacy organizations and 100 individuals, asked the state Department of Human Services on Tuesday to hold a public hearing on oversight of opioid settlement funds. The request follows reports that some local governments spent settlement money on community events, concerts, and police equipment rather than treatment or prevention services, and after state lawmakers diverted $45 million from the fund to hospital aid. New Jersey is set to collect $1.1 billion through 2038 from opioid lawsuit settlements, with half controlled by the state and the rest distributed to towns and counties; the state has spent more than $100 million on treatment, housing, and harm reduction services including naloxone distribution. The Department of Human Services did not comment on the request.