Georgia AG announces $55 million settlement with Kroger over opioid crisis

ATLANTA — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Thursday that the state had settled its part of a 30-state lawsuit against Kroger related to the opioid crisis.

According to Carr’s office, Georgia and its local governments will get $55 million to expand opioid treatment access, prevention and recovery services.

Funding from the lawsuit will be distributed over a period of time, according to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office. It’s a portion of an overall $1.37 billion settlement resolving allegations that the Kroger company had contributed to the opioid crisis.

Carr’s office said Kroger also agreed to injunctive relief that requires its pharmacies to monitor, report and share data about suspicious activity related to prescriptions for opioids.

“The opioid crisis knows no economic, geographic, or demographic boundaries, and it continues to have a devastating impact on families and communities throughout our state,” Carr said in a statement.

The AG said Georgia was fighting the opioid crisis “on multiple fronts by declaring war on fentanyl and holding accountable those who have contributed to this crisis in the first place.”

To date, Georgia and its local governments have secured more than $1 billion from lawsuits related to the opioid crisis, according to Carr’s office.

According to data shared by the AG’s office, Georgia’s rate of fentanyl-involved overdose deaths rose 308% from 2019 to 2022.