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 / Modified nov 5, 2024 2:54 p.m.

Settlement with Kroger adds $68.5 million to AZ opioid fund

Agreement also adds reporting requirements to Fry's & Smith's pharmacies.
by Zachary Ziegler

Opiods, Pain medication Many people rely on opioids to manage chronic pain.
AC Swedbergh / AZPM

Arizona's opioid settlement fund will grow by nearly $70 million after a settlement with a major grocery chain.

The Arizona Attorney General's office announced the settlement with Kroger, which operates in Arizona under the Fry's and Smith's grocery store brands.

The agreement also requires Kroger-store pharmacies to monitor, report and share data about suspicious opioid prescription activity.

The settlement increases Arizona's total opioid settlement funds to $1.19 billion, and can only be used for a handful of specified purposes.

A little more than half of that money goes into a pool for spending by municipal and county governments. The rest stays with the state.

The Secretary of State's Office still lists Kroger, Endo International and Purdue Pharma as sources from which funds have yet to be distributed.

MORE: Arizona, Arizona Government, Courts, Crime, Drugs, Government, Health & Medicine, News, Opioids, U.S.
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