Cherokee Nation Agrees to $75 Million Opioid Settlement
The payout is the largest settlement in Cherokee Nation history.
Landwebs
The Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma has reached a $75 million opioid settlement with AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, three of the nation’s largest drug distributors that shipped vast quantities of highly addictive pain pills over the past 20 years, in the first deal of its kind with a tribal government in the country, reports NPR.
The Cherokee Nation is a sovereign government with more than 390,000 citizens. Officials described this as the largest settlement in their history. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the opioid crisis had disproportionately affected people in his community. “This settlement will enable us to increase our investments in mental health treatment facilities and other programs to help our people recover,” Hoskin said. The drug companies also issued a joint statement “strongly” denying any wrongdoing. They said payouts will be spread over the next six to seven years.
