2023 - 8 RESOLUTION - Authorizing Execution of Opioid Settlements & Approving the Supplemental Agreement for Additional Funds - 3-6-2023

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FILED LEE COUNTY NC PAMELA G. BRITT REGISTER OF DEEDS FILED Mar 27, 2023 AT 10:02:37 am BOOK 00003 START PAGE 0914 END PAGE 0915 INSTRUMENT# 01722 EXCISE TAX (None) RESOLUTION BY THE COUNTY OF LEE AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF OPIOID SETTLEMENTS AND APPROVING THE SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS BETWEEN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ON PROCEEDS RELATING TO THE SETTLEMENT OF OPIOID LITIGATION WHEREAS, the opioid overdose epidemic had taken the lives of more than 32,000 North Carolinians (2000-2021); WHEREAS,the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the opioid overdose crisis, increasing levels of drug misuse, addiction, and overdose death; and WHEREAS,the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the total economic burden of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, including the costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement; and WHEREAS, in North Carolina, the overdose death rate in NC was 28 out of 100,000 people in 2020. This represents 2,975 people in NC who died from overdose in that year. The overdose death rate in Lee County was 47 out of 100,000 people in 2020. This represents 29 people in Lee County who died from overdose in that year. Lee County is in the highest category for overdose deaths when compared to other counties in NC; and WHEREAS, certain counties and municipalities in North Carolina joined with thousands of local governments across the country to file lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, pharmaceutical distribution companies, and chain drug stores to hold those companies accountable for their misconduct; and WHEREAS, settlements have been reached in litigation against Walmart, Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Allergan Finance, LLC, Allergan Limited, CVS Health Corporation, CVS Pharmacy, Inc., and Walgreen Co., as well as their subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, and directors named in the these Settlements; and WHEREAS,representatives of local North Carolina governments, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, and the North Carolina Department of Justice have negotiated and prepared a Supplemental Agreement for Additional Funds (SAAF) to provide for the equitable distribution of the proceeds of these settlements; and WHEREAS,by joining the settlements and approving the SAAF, the state and local governments maximize North Carolina's share of opioid settlement funds to ensure the needed resources reach communities, as quickly, effectively, and directly as possible; and WHEREAS, it is advantageous to all North Carolinians for local governments, including Lee County and its residents, to sign onto the settlements and SAAF and demonstrate solidarity in response to the opioid overdose crisis, and to maximize the share of opioid settlement funds received both in the state and this county to help abate the harm; and