After the opioid settlement, what to do with the money?

The two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreens, plan to pay $5 billion each to settle lawsuits nationwide over the destructive impact opioids have had on communities.

Additionally, the New York attorney general announced that the state will receive up to $524 million from Teva, a drugmaker, that is believed to have contributed to the drug epidemic as well.

As these settlements and others are announced, one of the greatest questions is how the money will be distributed and used to adequately address the destruction left by opioid addiction.

Dessa Bergen-Cico is a Professor in the Department of Public Health, Coordinator of the Addiction Studies program and faculty in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program at Syracuse University. She said the issue of who gets money and how much is multifaceted but in brief, she said:

• “In short, the money should be used for a.) evidence-based prevention; b.) treatment costs and expansion of treatment availability; and c.) education and training of a workforce to be able to effectively meet these demands,” said Bergen-Cico.

Professor Bergen-Cico’s research and teaching focus on alcohol, other drugs, and addictive behaviors; traumatic stress, the use of mindfulness-based practices for prevention and recovery from trauma and addictions, and complementary health practices. She is the author of more than 40 scholarly publications and the book “War and Drugs: The Role of Military Conflict in the Development of Substance Abuse.”

She holds a Research Appointment at the Syracuse Veterans Administration Medical Center and Fellow of the American Academy of Health Care Providers in the Addictive Disorders. Professor Bergen-Cico is a Certified Addiction Specialist (CAS), Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher.

Past interviews include:

• Al jazeera, “War deepens suffering for Ukraine’s drug users.”
• USA Today, “Dax Shepard is taking ‘heavy testosterone injections,’ which are often misused. What experts want you to know.“
• Syracuse.com “Has marijuana changed or have we?“
• San Diego Tribune, “New Oregon law decriminalizing drugs seen as a step in the right direction by advocates of reform.”
• S. News & World Report, “Self-Care for Social Reengagement in the Era of COVID-19.”

To schedule an interview with Prof. Bergen-Cico, please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations at Syracuse University, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu or 412-496-0551.