West Virginia starts distributing funds from the settlement of opioid lawsuits
By JOHN RABY
Associated Press
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia is issuing the first checks from a fund established up by the settlement of opioid lawsuits. The Kanawha County Commission says it received a $2.9 million check and plans to discuss how it will be spent at its next meeting on Jan. 11. Last week the Mercer County Commission received $1.9 million. A state board in charge of around $1 billion in funds will distribute just under three-fourths of the settlement money, with one fourth going directly to local communities. The state is receiving money from lawsuit settlements on a staggered schedule. West Virginia has by far the nation’s highest drug overdose death rate