As previously reported by the Acton Exchange, overuse, misuse/abuse and overdose deaths due to opioid use have led to significant medical, social, psychological, demographic and economic consequences across Massachusetts and the nation. According to data from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, the Town of Acton lost 21 community members from 2016 to 2023 attributed to opioid-related deaths.
In 2021, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office announced the settlement of a lawsuit with Johnson and Johnson, followed by additional settlements with other pharmaceutical companies. According to the Massachusetts Opioid Settlement Funds website, 60% of the funds will go to the state Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund to manage statewide efforts, while 40% of the funds will be distributed to Massachusetts municipalities. Acton has now received its first payments from the opioid settlement, totaling $157,439.
Town Meeting Article 11 set up a mechanism for Acton to handle already-received and future income from this settlement legally and transparently, by establishing a stabilization fund. As explained in the summary in theWarrant, proceeds from this special revenue fund can be used without further appropriation, at the direction of the Town Manager, but only for “supplementing and strengthening the resources available to individuals and families for substance use disorder prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery.” Expenditures from this fund will be reported by the Town to the state, which will publish them annually on theMunicipal Opioid Abatement Funds Data Dashboard.
In a memo to the Acton Board of Health, Acton’s Director of Health and Human Services, Penelope Funaiole, explained what will happen after the fund is established: ” … a task force or coalition should be formed to develop a strategic plan for its use.” The plan would cover not just the funds received to date, but also those expected in the future. As shown in the graph below, the state forecasts that Acton will continue to receive settlement funds until 2039.
Article 11 passed easily, with a vote of 271 to 5. Later in the evening, Town Meeting voted to transfer $157,429 from Receipts Reserved into the newly established Opioid Settlement Stabilization Fund, as one component of Article 12: Appropriations to stabilization and trust funds.
Kim Kastens is an Associate Editor and Board member of the Acton Exchange, and writes occasionally on miscellaneous topics.
