Title
Approval of Opioid Funding for Pooling with the Opioid Abatement Council
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to authorize the City's contribution of opioid settlement funds to the regional Opioid Abatement Council pooling fund and direct staff to finalize and transmit the City's funding commitment by June 30th, consistent with the Interlocal Agreement.
Report
Issue:
Whether to authorize the City's contribution of opioid settlement funds to the regional Opioid Abatement Council pooling fund and direct staff to finalize and transmit the City's funding commitment by June 30th, consistent with the Interlocal Agreement.
Staff Contact:
Jay Burney, City Manager, 360.753.8447
Presenter(s):
Jay Burney, City Manager
Background and Analysis:
Since 1995, when OxyContin was approved by the FDA and aggressively marketed to healthcare professionals, the sales of opioids have skyrocketed, and drug companies have recorded massive profits. In 2016, 289 million opioid prescriptions were issued, more than enough for one pill bottle for every American adult. Opioid related overdoses became the leading cause of death in the U.S. surpassing fatal car accidents. Since the year 2000, more than 300,000 people have died from fatal opioid overdoses, more than five times the total U.S. lives lost during the Vietnam War. The crisis was created by deliberate and systematic practices of pharmaceutical companies in providing false and misleading information to doctors and patients about the safety and efficacy of prescription opioids over approximately two decades.
In April 2018, Olympia retained the Seattle law firm, Keller Rohrback, to represent the City in the National Opioid Litigation against numerous pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies. In the summer of 2018, Olympia's case was consolidated with thousands of other actions in the national multi-district litigation.
On August 23r...
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