On February 11, 2026, Consumer Action for a Strong Economy (CASE) released a white paper alleging widespread misdirection of funds from the national $57 billion opioid settlement. The report, titled “Increasing Transparency and Accountability to Ensure Better Opioid Settlement Funds Spending by Local Governments,” claims that state and local governments have used the funds for purposes unrelated to supporting victims of opioid addiction or addressing the opioid epidemic.
The issue is significant because the settlement funds were intended to assist those affected by opioid addiction and support efforts to combat the crisis. CASE said that instead, large amounts have been spent on items such as closing budget gaps, hiring staff, building renovations, and holding musical concerts—uses that may violate the terms of the settlement.
“Government at any level wasting or mismanaging funds always hurts taxpayers and consumers, but what we have uncovered regarding the misallocation of opioid settlement funds is disgraceful. State and local officials hold a duty to ensure the funds they are receiving are spent to help their communities combat the opioid crisis and provide support to individuals suffering from the ravages of dangerous addictive drugs. Instead, many government bodies treated these funds as if they were a winning lottery ticket to be spent however they pleased. This issue clearly demands more transparency and more thorough investigation, starting with state attorneys general,” according to CASE chairman Gerard Scimeca.
Examples cited in the white paper include Jackson County, Mississippi spending over $500,000 on office expenses such as installing fiber optic cable and moving offices; Farmington Hills, Michigan using $120,000 to backfill public safety budgets with no spending directed toward helping current opioid victims; and Irvington, New Jersey allocating $632,000 for two “Opioid Awareness” concerts featuring billboards, DJs, luxury trailers, and merchandise without providing information on assistance for those struggling with addiction.
The white paper encourages citizen action for greater accountability and transparency. It notes that watchdog group websites such as The Opioid Policy and Popular Democracy allow people to report officials who fail to use settlement funds appropriately. CASE also asserts that every state attorney general should monitor how these funds are used and publicly report their findings.
“Politicians need to get their hands out of the cookie jar (…) The settlement wasn’t created for them to pay for their bloated budgets, buy new cars, or renovate their offices. This is money meant to help relieve the true suffering that opioid addiction leaves in its wake, and to prevent future abuse. All settlement money should be accounted for, and those who callously disregard this responsibility must be held accountable,” Scimeca concluded.
For more details see CASE’s full release here.
