Hope for ending the opioid crisis

The opioid crisis has devastated communities throughout the United States in recent years, with hundreds of thousands of lives lost to addiction and drug abuse. Ending this avalanche of death and destruction will take a massive influx of resources.

Thankfully, a wave of recent lawsuit settlements between opioid manufacturers and distributors and state and local governments marks an important step forward in combatting this scourge. By gaining access to much-needed financial resources to combat opioid addiction on the ground instead of engaging in massively protracted litigation, communities may now have billions of dollars to put to immediate use to curtail fentanyl smuggling at the southern border, disrupt trafficking networks, prevent overdose deaths, and, most importantly, expand access to addiction treatment and recovery services.

This is crucial, as overcoming an epidemic of this magnitude requires diverse approaches beyond the status quo. With the flexibility provided by settlements, local leaders and experts can pioneer novel strategies tailored to the unique needs of their communities.

One of the most promising developments has been increased support for faith-based treatment programs. Spiritual healing and connection can play a powerful role in overcoming addiction, and these programs offer a sense of meaning, purpose, and fellowship that can be incredibly powerful.

The money flowing in from these settlements allows these programs, often underfunded in the past, to reach more people in need. Alabama, for example, has used some of its settlement funds to implement and sustain a faith-based support specialist program to have a broader effect in unreached or hard-to-reach regions of the state. Similarly, millions of dollars have been earmarked to support and expand the services of existing faith-based addiction treatment centers that promote a discipleship approach to recovery.

Yet while the influx of settlement funds enabling the launch of innovative pilot programs is a promising development overall, we must be cautious not to open the door to approaches that could enable further drug use under the guise of “harm reduction.” In particular, recent steps the U.S. Department of Justice has taken to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug—a strict designation that includes drugs like heroin—to a less stringent Schedule III classification signals that the federal government may for the first time formally recognize a medical use for marijuana. This should give us pause.

While President Joe Biden thinks he may be righting the wrongs of a “failed approach to marijuana,” using the drug to treat opioid addiction would be a grave mistake. Trading one drug for another is not a solution but a recipe for sustained substance abuse and runs counter to the abstinence-based approach many faith-based addiction treatment providers use to help patients recover.

It is also important to recognize that, sadly, not all state and local governments have opted into the settlement agreements, leaving gaps in this nationwide effort. One prominent holdout, the city of Baltimore, has chosen to continue its litigation against opioid makers and, as a result, is delaying or even jeopardizing as much as $100 million in resources.

Without settlement money flowing in, Baltimore has faced even greater challenges in funding its response to the opioid crisis, from providing access to naloxone to increasing the number of treatment beds. The effects of this choice are already becoming apparent, with The New York Times recently and regrettably referring to the city as the “U.S. Overdose Capital.” And because addiction knows no borders, Baltimore’s decision hurts the entire country’s ability to mount a coordinated response. Hopefully, the city reconsiders its approach and others heed this warning and decline to follow in its footsteps.

No amount of money can undo the damage of the opioid crisis or bring back those we’ve lost. But the funds now available through lawsuit settlements are a crucial tool to prevent more tragedy. By putting this money to work by expanding effective treatment options, including faith-based programs, communities have a fighting chance to turn the tide on this deadly epidemic. The settlements aren’t a silver bullet, but they offer a ray of hope that communities throughout the country—including those still notably holding out—must seize with both hands.