Local governments across the country are receiving money from opioid settlements, but not all of them know how to use it. Most towns and cities with populations over 10,000 are getting pieces of the funds, which total over $50 billion. Most of the money is required to be used to address the nation's generations-long opioid overdose and addiction crisis. Advocates want to see governments assess their needs and take input from the public and experts as they figure out their plans. In at least one suburban New Jersey county, not much of that has happened. In Arkansas, towns and counties pooled their money to create a state opioid recovery partnership.
