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Walmart has agreed to pay $3.1 billion for its responsibility in the U.S. opioid crisis, which included the sale and distribution of addiction-creating drugs without sufficient medical controls.
With this settlement the company is “resolving allegations that the company contributed to the nationwide opioid crisis by failing to regulate opioid prescriptions at its stores,” New York State Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
Walmart stressed in another statement that the settlement is designed to resolve substantially all opioid lawsuits and potential lawsuits by state, local and tribal governments if all conditions are met.
“Walmart believes the settlement framework is in the best interest of all parties and will provide significant aid to communities across the country in the fight against the opioid crisis,” added the release, whose publication coincides with the company’s quarterly earnings announcement.
For her part, the New York prosecutor stressed that “Pharmacies such as Walmart played an undeniable role in perpetuating opioids’ destruction.”
In addition to the $3.1 billion payment, which will be divided among the 43 plaintiff states to be spent on opioid addiction treatment, recovery, and reduction, the settlement will also include, according to the New York Attorney General’s Office, “broad, court-ordered requirements Walmart must comply with, such as robust oversight to prevent fraudulent prescriptions and flag suspicious prescriptions.”
