"Washington State's $150 Million Settlement with Johnson & Johnson Over Opioid Crisis"

Washington state reaches a $149.5 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson over the company's role in the opioid addiction crisis, with the majority of the funds to be used for addressing the crisis, including substance abuse treatment and overdose-reversal drugs. The settlement, which still requires judicial approval, would provide more funding for the opioid crisis than a previous national settlement. This comes as opioid overdose deaths in the state more than doubled from 2019 to 2022, with over 2,000 deaths recorded in 2022.