National Guidance for Utilizing Prescription Opioid Settlement Funds

The resources on this page provide a wide variety of resources to assist local governments in their efforts to utilize the funds they receive through national prescription opioid legal settlements. These resources include guiding principles for using funds, evidence-based practices across the continuum of care, evaluation and decisionmaking tools, and more. 

Note: Please still consult your local legal counsel in spending decisions. You should also refer to the our ORF General Resources page and Exhibit E to help identify allowable uses under Maryland law. 

Partnership to End Addiction: Guidance for Investing the Opioid Settlement Funds in Primary Prevention
This guide by the Partnership to End Addiction identifies and recommends several primary prevention strategies that can be supported with settlement funds. 

Legal Action Center: Evidence-Based Strategies for Abatement of Harms from the Opioid Epidemic
This resource center from the Legal Action Center provides various evidence-based interventions across the continuum of care as well as fact sheets summarizing findings from each chapter of the main guide. 

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The Principles for the Use of Funds from the Opioid Settlements
This guide from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health provides five guiding principles for local jurisdictions to utilize settlement funds: spend the money to save lives; use evidence to guide spending; invest in youth prevention; focus on racial equity; and develop a fair and transparent process for deciding where to spend the funding.

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Tools to Implement Principles
This page provides a variety of tools and resources to assist jurisdictions in promoting readiness in implementing the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s five principles for utilizing settlement funds. 

Brandeis Opioid Resource Connector
Brandeis Opioid Policy Research Collaborative’s Opioid Resource Connector provides a curated collection of community-focused programs, tools, and resources to help stakeholders choose, design, and implement interventions for reducing overdoses. 

SAMHSA Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center
This library from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides extensive peer-reviewed and evidence-based resources for reducing overdoses across the continuum of care. 

ASPPH: Report and Recommendations from the ASPPH Task Force on Public Health Initiatives to Address the Opioid Crisis
This resource from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health presents findings and recommendations for reducing overdoses utilizing public health approaches and legislative reforms.   

NACO Opioid Solutions Center
This resource center from the National Association of Counties provides several strategy briefs for utilizing settlement funds across the continuum of care.

RAND: Strategies for Effectively Allocating Opioid Settlement Funds
This resource from RAND provides guiding principles for utilizing settlement funds and recommendations for addressing the root causes of overdose deaths. It also identifies lessons learned and recommendations to avoid pitfalls when utilizing funds.  

Big Cities Health Coalition: Supporting local decision makers managing opioid settlement funds: A public health approach
This guide from the Big Cities Health Coalition provides decision-making resources for local administrators of settlement funds, including guiding principles and evaluation tools.