Opioid Settlement Money to Start Flowing in Florida. Dribs and Drabs.....

While the U.S. is losing more than 100,000 citizens yearly to an overdose crisis--national media outlets all but ignore this reality in favor of covering seasonal storms, seasonal respiratory viruses, and a war in Europe.  Why?

Even though the national media ignores the opioid epidemic like it is nonexistent---the numbers tell the story.  In Florida and in Escambia County the damage and the carnage continues.  FDLE released the latest numbers (from 2021) which notch another tidy 10% increase in deaths from Fentanyl.  Some local TV News outlets cover this story of immense national significance--yet the national nightly media seem more fixated on the latest winter storm, the tragic, horrific (and as of yet) unsolved murder of four college students in Idaho, a war in Europe, Monkeypox, and seasonal respiratory illnesses that are common.

But they ignore 100,000 Americans dying every year from opioids!

Meanwhile--in the 1st judicial circuit alone (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Walton, and Okaloosa Counties)--there were nearly 300 deaths attributable to Opioid overdoses.  With Escambia being the population center of the district holding more than 50% of the district's citizens--it would not be a stretch to assume at least 50% of this number represents Escambia Citizens lost to this drug.  That is a huge number.  Imagine if Escambia County had 100 or more murders yearly?.  Locally, WEAR did a good piece in the leadoff 6:00 newscast last night.

Still--anemic, if any, national coverage.

It's quite perplexing.  

But it's really not. 

The national media doesn't want this covered because:  1.) they know the biggest culprit is China lab produced synthetic drugs pouring over the porous, broken southern border with Mexico.  They (media industrial complex) just don't want to acknowledge this for reasons that are obvious---- and highly political and partisan.  And #2.) is they don't want to offend their patrons......just watch the national news lately and you see where their bread is buttered: Big Pharma and every drug under the sun they are telling you that you need.  One commercial after the other. Ad nauseum Paying for their existence. (that and car manufacturers' ads....)

So, to summarize:  Broadcast companies get rich, pharmaceutical companies stay rich, Law firms get paid, and local communites lose 100,000 citizens, getting "table scrap" level payments with lots of strings attached over long periods of time.---------------- AND to even mention this and dig deep on this at the national level media outlets  remains verboten.  Check.  Got it!  👍

Meanwhile--as the massive and complex lawsuits and settlements with big pharma and drug manufacturers and distributors move along at pace-----the big law firms that are a part of this mass tort are about to get substantial windfall payouts----while Florida counties and municipalities will be receiving dribs and drabs of small dollar money (compared with their actual total yearly budgets) over the next decade or so, with this money highly controlled with stipulations and limitations negotiated that will severly curtail what local governments can actually spend this money on.

Locally, from this chart provided by County Attorney Alison Rogers yesterday afternoon, it appears as if Escambia County will be getting about $216K over the next two years, Santa Rosa $126.5K, and the city of Pensacola $70K.

Escambia's Opioid Funding Advisory Board will be providing recommended expenditures to the BCC for our consideration and eventual decision and direction.

See what every other county and municipality included within this litigation will be getting, here.

Hey--we'll take it.  We will take it and spend it doing something good to help supplement the massive taxpayer  resources we're already utilizing in this fight.  

stay tuned.