Opinion: How to make sure opioid settlement money isn’t wasted

Some states are funding projects with little chance of making a difference, write current and former members of the Rhode Island Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee

The opioid and overdose crisis is a national tragedy, claiming more than 1 million lives since 1999. In the past three years, more than $55 billion has flowed into state, county, and city coffers from opioid manufacturers, distributors, and chain pharmacies as a result of their collective role in instigating and perpetuating this public health crisis.

This urgently needed infusion of funding has the potential...