The conversation in Kensington, a critical center of the nation’s opioid crisis, took a turn on June 20th when the state oversight board considered rejecting Philadelphia’s decision to spend $7.5 million in opioid settlement money to improve quality of life in the neighborhood. Many residents were shut out of the discussion, highlighting a trend of the public being excluded from decisions on how to best use settlement funds to address the opioid crisis. Different states have varying practices regarding public involvement in settlement spending discussions, with some, like Pennsylvania, routinely blocking public comments at meetings. Seth Loyd of Tennessee’s Opioid Abatement Council emphasizes the importance of hearing from those directly affected by addiction in making meaningful decisions.
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Public Voices Often Ignored in States’ Opioid Settlement Money Decisions
