Source: New York Post
At least 25 New Jersey towns blew millions in opioid settlement money, reportedly spending the massive windfall on lavish purchases like an electric Mustang, custom monogrammed jackets and splashy concerts — instead of vital addiction services the funds were supposed to support. 30,000 New Jersey residents have died from opioids and a further 150,000 developed an opioid use disorder. AP The Garden State, which has lost an estimated 30,000 to opioid deaths and left 150,000 addicted over the last decade, settled a groundbreaking national lawsuit in 2021 against Big Pharma — Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, CVS and 10 other painkiller manufacturers — that was initially praised by experts, addicts’ loved ones and cash-strapped nonprofits as a measure of restitution and pathway out of the crisis, NJ.
