AMIDST UNCERTAINTY OVER FEDERAL CUTS TO PUBLIC HEALTH, SALVATION AND SOCIAL JUSTICE JOINS 230+ ORGANIZATIONS IN SIGNING ROADMAP TO REDUCE OVERDOSE CRISIS WITH OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS

Opioid Settlement Dollars Should Fund Proven Health Solutions — Not Create a Slush Fund to Backfill Federal Budget Cuts  

Read Third Annual Roadmap Here; Local Public Health Experts Available for Comment 

Trenton, NJ- Today, Salvation and Social Justice joins a national coalition of more than 230 organizations from 40 states (and D.C.) in jointly releasing A National Roadmap for Spending Opioid Settlement Funds in 2026: Supporting Communities & Ending the Overdose Crisis.  

The Roadmap serves as a critical guide for state and local governments on allocating over $57 billion in funds from opioid manufacturer and distributor settlements. The Roadmap also includes timely guidance to decide whether opioid settlement funds are a good fit for gaps left by federal cuts.   

• Reject Funding Systems and Policies that Advance the Drug War: Do not further criminalization or bolster the criminal legal system, family separation, dangerous “treatment” approaches, unproven prevention programs, or corporate money-grabs masquerading as harm reduction. 

• Provide Full Access to Public Health and Harm Reduction Programs: Support for syringe service programs, naloxone access, overdose prevention centers, HIV and hepatitis prevention and treatment, and low-barrier access to medications for opioid use disorder are critical.  

• Fund Housing and Supportive Services: Expand housing, outreach, and wraparound support services for individuals affected by drug use and related convictions, ensuring they do not face barriers to essential services. Institute community-based crisis response teams that can respond to emergency calls related to drug use and mental health needs.  

• Repair Racial and Economic Harms: Fund programs to address the collateral damage caused by the War on Drugs, including legal aid services, second-chance employment opportunities, recovery-to-work initiatives, and programs to keep families together. 

  
  

Since the release of the first edition of this roadmap in 2023, we have seen overdose numbers begin to decline as localities have invested in harm reduction and other proven solutions. However, we also continue to see these critical dollars spent on programs to bolster arrest and incarceration, which only harm our communities. This updated report details the successful and unsuccessful steps states have taken in the past year to keep people safe 

About the Coalition  

This Roadmap was spearheaded by Popular Democracy, Dream.org, the Legal Action Center, the Maine People's Alliance, the Maine Recovery Action Project, Opioid Policy Institute, Salvation and Social Justice, Sea Change Recovery Community Organization, and VOCAL-US and signed by organizations from across the United States.