MAINE, USA — Drug companies, retailers, and distributors are paying out billions of dollars in lawsuit settlements as almost all states and other plaintiffs across the country have sued companies that made and distributed painkillers.
Maine will get about $235 million from national settlements over 18 years. However, the road to get to this point began several years ago when Gov. Mills was still serving as attorney general when people asked her to sue opioid manufacturers.
"When you go to a doctor and you need help and they're making matters worse, what do you do?" P.J. Plummer, a Mainer seven years in recovery, said.
Plummer said he became addicted to methadone when his doctor gave him opioids for his back pain more than 20 years ago.
At the time in 2017, medical marijuana caregiver Dawson Julia was seeing more and more patients who were struggling after they became addicted to opioids. He collected written letters from seven patients dealing with addiction and hand-delivered them to then-Attorney General Janet Mills' office.
"It was retribution in a way. It was kind of like sticking it to the pharmaceutical," Julia said.
Maine went on to join a wave of lawsuits against drug manufacturers and distributors for their part in fueling the opioid epidemic. To date, more than $50 billion in settlements have gone to state and local governments.
"Accountability is a big thing," Plummer said. "They don't realize how much they've put into the downfall of so many people."
Half of Maine's $235 will be allocated to the Maine Recovery Council. The council was formed in November 2022 to distribute money to help fill the gaps in the state's opioid prevention, recovery, and treatment options.
In December, the council allocated its first round of funds to organizations in Maine focusing on harm reduction, treatment, prevention, and recovery support.
Council chair and member Pat Kimball said the council is still writing contracts and finalizing details, but she said she hopes to be able to award the money quickly.
"In a time where there's been a lot of pain in our state, we've lost too many people to this disease. We want to open up and move forward, and we're trying. We're trying to do it fast," she said.
The council was scrutinized for taking more than a year before distributing any of the money, but Kimball said they needed to collect data to better understand where the funds would have the biggest impact.
"We get pressure daily from people asking that question. Where is the money? Where is the money?" Kimball said. "We want it to get where it needs to go, but we also need to be sure it gets to the right people."
Plummer said he hopes the settlements will be used to create new resources and programs to prevent others from going down the same road he did.
"It's about the next person that does need help," he said.