OpioidSettlementTracker.com is a public interest project created by Christine Minhee, J.D., an attorney, consultant, and advocate for government accountability.

Christine tracks four categories of opioid settlement-related information — settlements reached by U.S. state and local governments, spending and decision-making processes, expenditure reporting, and grantmaking to communities — to independently advise NGOs and federal, state, and local government entities. She maintains this website pro bono.

Christine is a UCSF-Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Opioid Industry Documents Archive National Advisory Committee member and the co-author of OpioidSettlementGuides.com, the definitive encyclopedia of U.S. states’ opioid settlement spending processes (Vital Strategies, 2024).

She launched OpioidSettlementTracker.com in 2019 as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Washington School of Law, where she graduated as the Dean’s Medalist and co-authored “The Cure for America’s Opioid Crisis? End the War on Drugs” (Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy). She holds a B.A. from Stanford University and is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course.

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With presentations, podcasts, and projects for:

The information presented by OpioidSettlementTracker.com exists in the public domain, but the compilations themselves belong to me. I create my datasets for public, beneficial uses, so each of them sit under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, which allows you to “remix, adapt, and build upon [the above] non-commercially” provided that two things occur: (1) I am credited in the process (“Christine Minhee, J.D., OpioidSettlementTracker.com”), and (2) you license whatever you produce using my help under identical, non-commercial terms. Happy to answer questions over email. All rights reserved.

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PROJECT-RELATED FAQs

“Why are you tracking opioid settlements?”

“Do you have a secret agenda?”

“Who pays you?”

“How do I reach you?”

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Fast Company spoke to Christine Minhee, founder of OpioidSettlementTracker.com, to understand how the funds are being spent.

FC: What do you think we can do to make sure the funds are spent most effectively?

CM: Accountability. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. The fact that I went to law school informs my answer. You can argue that our opioid crisis is a public health scrouge created by big pharma or a preventable crisis that could have been mitigated had government done a better job (or both!). 

If states and localities are forced to publish their specific expenditures, they’ll stand up straighter as they spend it since they’ll be subject to public scrutiny and save more lives. 

…

FC: What do you think are the most effective ways of spending the opioid money?

CM: I’m a student of state governments and as such my authority isn’t really situated in particular interventions. However, harm reduction is a great solution to offset political liabilities in the future. It’s the most effective way to comply and make sure money is spent on evidence-based solutions and that the funds reach communities who need it most. 

I do have a full appreciation that harm reduction can chafe depending on the political context of the state you’re in. For example, I’m in Seattle. Harm reduction seems like an obvious choice here. Not so much in Texas. But if you think about it practically, harm reduction is the best way to maximized lives saved as opposed to abstinence education. 

See also Christine’s video interviews, webinars & panels, and podcasts. | back to top

Other video interviews:

“Grassroots groups nationwide fight for opioid settlement money” (Spotlight on America) (August 2024)

“Survivors worry about use of opioid settlement money” (Scripps News) (May 2024)

“Public transparency urged with $100 million opioid settlement in Nebraska” (KETV) (October 2023)

“Lack of transparency concerns over billions in opioid settlement money distributions” (Spotlight on America, ABC, NBC, etc.) (October 2023)

See also Christine’s press interviews, webinars & panels, and podcasts. | back to top

Other webinars and panels:

Opioid Settlement Dollars: A Breakdown of the Process and What it Means for Your Work in Overdose Prevention, National Overdose Prevention Network (September 2022)

Will States and Counties Spend Their National Opioid Settlements Effectively?, University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (February 2023)

Ohio’s Opioid Settlement: Proceeds and Plans for Impact, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Drug Enforcement and Policy Center (December 2021)

Ohio Opioid Settlements: How To Spend $1 Billion Wisely, Harm Reduction Ohio (October 2021)

2025

2024

• December — “How should the opioid settlements be spent? Those hit hardest often don’t have a say” (Associated Press), “Are states keeping their promises on opioid settlement transparency?” (The Washington Post), “People with Substance Use Disorder Don’t Have Input in How Opioid Settlement Funds are Spent” (Partnership to End Addiction)

• November — “12 States Promised To Open the Books on Their Opioid Settlement Funds. We Checked Up on Them.” (KFF Health News / NPR), “Ky law says cities, counties must detail opioid settlement spending. Most haven’t.” (Louisville Public Media)

• September — “Cash from opioid settlements is flowing into Louisiana. Where will the money go?” (NOLA)

• August — “Grassroots groups nationwide fight for opioid settlement money” (Spotlight on America)

• July — “How are Local Governments Investing Opioid Funds? The Supplantation Debate Explained” (National League of Cities)

• June — “Lack of transparency still clouds billions in opioid settlement money going to states” (Spotlight on America)

• May — “Local governments struggle to distribute their share of billions from opioid settlements” (Associated Press), “John Oliver Shines Spotlight on Opioid Settlement Funds With 25-Minute On-Air Segment” (Vital Strategies), “Survivors worry about use of opioid settlement money” (Scripps News)

• April — “Opioid settlement cash being used for existing programs and salaries, sparking complaints” (USA Today), “Why opioid settlement money is paying county employees’ salaries” (The Washington Post)

• March — webinar: “The 2024 Snapshot of States’ and Localities’ Opioid Settlement Spend” (CHESS Health)

• February — “As opioid deaths mount, Michigan governments sit on millions for intervention” (Bridge Michigan)

• January — “With opioid settlement dollars flooding Connecticut, what will equity and fairness look like?” (Connecticut Public Radio), “New report provides detailed insight into how CT cities are spending opioid settlement money” (Connecticut Public Radio), “Proposed bill would ensure $50 billion in opioid settlement funds goes toward addressing addiction” (Spectrum News), “Where will Georgia's $640M opioid settlement money go?” (WABE)

2023

• December — “The Year in Opioid Settlements: 5 Things You Need to Know” (KFF), “How we’re tracking the opioid settlement cash” (The Maine Monitor), “Nevada received more than $1 billion in opioid settlements. There’s little information about how it’s being spent.” (This is Reno), “Whitmer signs repeal of nation’s only immunity law that shielded drugmakers from legal liability” (Michigan Advance), podcast: “Following the Opioid Settlement Money: Interview with Christine Minhee” (Bankruptcy for Billionaires)

• November — “States are getting $50 billion in opioid cash. And it’s an issue in governor’s races” (KFF / NPR), “As opioid settlement money comes to CT, pain of personal loss confronts bureaucratic delays” (Connecticut Public Radio), authored piece: “How Are Opioid Settlement Funds Being Spent So Far?” (Health Affairs Forefront)

• October — “Legal opinion on opioid funds limits Idaho more than other states, health officials say” (Idaho Capital Sun), “Bill ending Michigan’s drug immunity law clears Senate committee” (Michigan Advance), “Lack of transparency concerns over billions in opioid settlement money distributions” (Spotlight on America, as syndicated on ABC, NBC, etc.), “Public transparency urged with $100 million opioid settlement in Nebraska” (KETV)

• September — “Opioid Settlement Funds: Will ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Chance Be Wasted?” (Filter), legislative mention: “Sen. Markey, Rep. Trone, Colleagues Demand Biden Admin. Track $50 Billion in Opioid Settlement Money From Big Pharma, Ensure Used to Address Opioid Epidemic” (Senator Ed Markey)

• August — “Opioid Settlement Money Is Being Spent on Police Cars and Overtime” (The New York Times), “Money from opioid settlements is flowing to Massachusetts cities and towns” (Boston Globe), “‘Problematic’ use of opioid settlement money opposed by coalition of public health organizations” (Salon), resource: A Quick “How-To” Guide for Understanding Opioid Settlements State-to-State (National Association of County and City Health Officials)

• July — “Louisiana will get $325M from a major opioid settlement. Advocates want to know how it will be spent” (WWNO New Orleans Public Radio), “Millions of dollars to combat opioid abuse are coming to Idaho” (Idaho Capital Sun), panel: “Leveraging opioid settlement funds for harm reduction and public health” (National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO))

• June — “W.Va. Scores High In Opioid Settlement Money Transparency” (West Virginia Public Broadcasting), “Opioid Settlement Payouts to Localities Made Public for First Time” (KFF Health News), “Delaware County was the first in Pa. to sue drug companies for opioid crisis. Now it’s time to spend settlement money” (WHYY), “Where will the opioids settlement money go?” (Marketplace), “Maine will receive at least $235 million in settlements from companies accused of fueling the opioid crisis” (The Maine Monitor), “RI communities get millions in opioid settlement funds. But who knows how they're spending it?” (The Public’s Radio)

• May — “States are getting billions from opioid settlements. Now what?” (The Washington Post), “Walgreens to pay San Francisco $229 million over opioid crisis” (CBS News), “LOCALIZE IT: State and local governments figuring out how to use opioid settlement money” (Associated Press), “States aren’t being transparent about how they’re spending opioid settlement funds” (NPR 1A), “The Public Isn't So Confident in Effectiveness of Opioid Settlements” (Morning Consult)

• April — “Many States Not Transparent About Where Opioid Settlement Funding is Going” (Partnership to End Addiction)

• March — “Opioid Settlement Tracker Seeks Government Accountability,” (University of Washington School of Law), “Opioid crisis settlements have totaled over $50 billion. But how is that money being used?” (CBS News), “As states start to get opioid settlement cash, few are sharing how they spend it” (KFF / NPR), “Karma catches up with big pharma: Drug companies made to pay over $50bn to settle lawsuits over fueling opioid epidemic” (Daily Mail; my first tabloid mention 😅)

• February — “Will States and Counties Spend Their National Opioid Settlements Effectively?” (Penn LDI)

• January — “Victims of the Opioid Crisis Are Mostly 'Left Out' of $50+ Billion Settlement” (Vox NowThis News), “LOCALIZE IT: Naloxone access improving, but short of hopes” (The Independent)

2022

• December — “States are flush with opioid settlement money. We don’t know much about how they’ll spend it” (Fast Company), “Leveraging Settlement Funding to Change Systems” (National Overdose Prevention Leadership Summit)

• November — “States differ on how best to spend $26B from settlement in opioid cases” (KFF / NPR), “Local Officials Grapple With How to Spend Billions in Opioid Settlement Dollars” (Tradeoffs)

• October — “Alabama will get nearly $300 million in opioid settlements. How will we spend it?” (AL.com)

• September — “Advocates seek more say in how opioid settlements are spent” (Associated Press), Opioid Settlement Dollars: A Breakdown of the Process and What it Means for Your Work in Overdose Prevention (National Overdose Prevention Network)

• August — “Drug overdose deaths still on the rise, loved ones remembered during International Overdose Day in Milwaukee” (TMJ4)

• July — Accessing Opioid Settlement Funding for Harm Reduction Programs (National Harm Reduction Coalition, embedded above)

• June — “Want to know what’s happening in your state? This site has all the details” (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

• May — “$750M to start flowing in NC to fight opioid addiction” (WRAL), “In North Carolina, Faith and Evidence Face Off” (Treatment Magazine)

• April — Luncheon: Leveraging Opioid Settlements for Health (National Association of Counties), “Tension builds around best ways to spend NC’s opioid settlement money” (North Carolina Health News), “AIG, Chubb off hook for McKesson opioid defense costs” (Business Insurance)

• March — “$10B Purdue Opioid Settlement: What Coloradans Should Know,” “$26B Opioid Settlement Will Benefit Connecticut Municipalities,” “Purdue Opioid Settlement: What Ohioans Should Know” (Patch)

• February — “Major drug distributors and J&J finalize opioid settlement, launching nationwide funding” (The Washington Post), “Road to US opioid settlements has been long and complicated” (Agence France-Presse)

• January — Opioid Settlements and Litigation Across the States (National Association of Counties), “States Using Settlement Fund Legislation to Enhance Response to the Opioid Crisis” (Association of State and Territorial Health Officials)

2021

• December — Ohio’s Opioid Settlement: Proceeds and Plans for Impact (OSU Law’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center)

• November — “Washington AG takes opioid distributors to court. Lawyer who tracks settlements weighs the risks” (NPR / KUOW), “Addressing the Opioid Crisis” (The Council of State Governments)

• October — Ohio Opioid Settlements: How To Spend $1 Billion Wisely (Harm Reduction Ohio)

• September — “Where will opioid settlement money go?” (Reuters)

• August — “#68: Tracking the Opioid Settlements (Christine Minhee)” (The Dr. Junkie Show)

• July — “U.S. state officials urge support for landmark $26 bln opioid settlement” (Reuters), “Johnson & Johnson to pay $5bn in landmark $26bn US opioid settlement” (The Guardian)

• June — “The Opioid Crisis Hit Schools Hard. Now They Want Drug Companies to Pay Up” (Education Week)

Why are you tracking opioid settlements?

It’s one thing for attorneys general to claim that states will spend their opioid settlements better than they did their big tobacco MSA winnings. It’s quite another to show exactly how they did or did not. And the importance of spending data related to public health crises — especially those exacerbated by government mismanagement — cannot be understated!

Reports detailing how states have apportioned their big tobacco MSA proceeds, e.g., Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 Tobacco Settlement 20 Years Later, and other datasets like it, have been indispensable to local government plaintiffs as they pursue lawsuits alongside their state attorneys general. From those reports, we know the following:

“In the current budget year, Fiscal Year 2020, the states will collect $27.2 billion from the settlement and taxes. But they will spend just 2.7% of it – $739.7 million – on programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.

Meanwhile, tobacco companies spend $9.1 billion a year – $1 million every hour – to market their deadly and addictive products. This means tobacco companies spend over $12 to market their products for every $1 the states spend to reduce tobacco use.”

If states misspend the settlements they win from pharmaceutical opioid manufacturers, distributors, and retailers the way they misspent their winnings from big tobacco, the local services and community treatment providers combatting Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) on the ground are likely to receive very, very little of it. Cities, counties, and tribal governments know this, so they sue to ensure their slice of the abatement funding pie.

Do you have a secret agenda?

I think that the war on drugs has failed, and I doubt that federal regulatory agencies are properly incentivized to prioritize the public’s health over the needs of powerful corporations as well as they can be. But otherwise, not really.

Where are you based?

Seattle, Washington.

So you’re a liberal.

Is this going somewhere?

Who pays you?

Since early 2021, no single entity pays me to run this site. I used my Open Society Foundations (OSF) Soros Justice Fellowship grant to launch this project in 2019. (“The opinions expressed herein are the author’s own and do not necessarily express the views of the Open Society Institute,” etc.) When the fellowship ended in 2021, I decided to keep the site going pro bono. I now pay rent by working as an opioid settlement expert and legal consultant to a diverse portfolio of non-profit organizations, associations of governments, and other “non-pharma” entities.

I knew that the salus populi suprema lex in your footer was an Illuminati thing.

It actually means “the welfare of the people is the supreme law.”

How do I reach you?

Email is the fastest way to get in touch: Christine@OpioidSettlementTracker.com. I’m also on LinkedIn.

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