Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, alongside a bipartisan coalition of 30 state attorneys general, announced this week the completion of a $1.37 billion settlement agreement with Kroger, addressing the grocery chain’s role in the opioid crisis.
Colorado will receive almost $70 million for opioid abatement, with payments anticipated to begin early next year.
“Our work addressing the opioid crisis remains a top priority,” said Weiser. “A core part of that work is holding accountable entities like Kroger that fail to act to protect Coloradans and bringing back funds to Colorado. With the funds coming from this settlement, we will be able to save lives.”
In addition, Kroger has agreed to terms that require its pharmacies to monitor, report, and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions. Kroger operates 149 King Soopers and City Market grocery stores across Colorado.
Today’s filing is the latest action Weiser and his office have taken to combat the opioid crisis and to hold accountable those responsible for creating and fueling the crisis. To date, Colorado is slated to receive over $790 million in legal settlements with drug manufacturers and others for their roles in the crisis.
Weiser also leads the statewide response to the crisis, convening the Colorado Opioid Abatement Council—a multi-regional intergovernmental body that provides oversight of opioids funds of 19 regional councils to ensure the distribution of those funds complies with the approved uses. As of July 2024, the state has received a total of $110 million in settlement funds, and 90% of the funds have been distributed to regions and local governments for opioid response, prevention, education, harm reduction and infrastructure programs.
Last year, Colorado received the Excellence in the Application of Opioid Litigation Principles Award from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for the state’s planning and regional collaboration, which provided a detailed roadmap of evidence-based strategies that Colorado regions can use to address the opioid epidemic.
Document: Opioid settlement between Kroger and the state of Colorado.