Idaho secures $24M more in settlement with opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma

BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s Office announced this week that the state is set to receive more than $24 million in the latest settlement with opioid manufacturers.

The settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, is set to dole out most of the funds within the first three years, but the distribution process will take more than a decade, the Idaho Attorney General’s Office announced in a news release Wednesday.

“The Sackler family and Purdue Pharma made billions marketing opioids they knew were dangerously addictive, and Idaho families paid the price,” Labrador said in a written statement. “They knew the damage they were causing, and they did it anyway. Through this settlement, my office is recovering $24 million for Idaho, and we will keep pursuing pharmaceutical companies that profited from this crisis.”

Since Labrador became Idaho’s attorney general in 2023, Labrador’s office said he secured over $127 million in opioid settlement funds. The Republican is running unopposed in the primary election but is set to face Lori Hickman, an attorney who’s running as a Democrat, in the November election. 

Idaho’s opioid settlement money is funneled three ways: 40% goes to the state, 40% goes to counties and cities, and 20% goes to public health districts. So far, entities in Idaho have received $73 million, with nearly $30 million going to the state, according to the Attorney General’s Office’s website.

The Idaho Behavioral Health Council recommends to the governor how the state should spend its share. The council is accepting recommendations until June 5, the Idaho Capital Sun reported.