“Last night, I learned — to my great disappointment — that the budget the Legislature is considering would deplete our hard-won opioid settlement dollars by sending $45 million to hospital systems for uses that have not been identified. My office fought for years against companies who profited off the deaths and addiction of thousands upon thousands of New Jerseyans. When we announced these settlements, I stood with Governor Murphy and promised these settlement dollars would go towards evidence-based solutions to help those struggling with opioid addiction — not to pad the State’s coffers. We were fully mindful of not repeating the mistakes made with the state’s tobacco settlement funds, which should have been used exclusively to address damage caused by cigarettes. And just two weeks ago, the New Jersey Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund Advisory Council, which was created by law two years ago and on which my office sits, released a strategic plan for the uses of these funds, which this appropriation ignores…" – AG Platkin