The two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., announced agreements in principle Wednesday to pay about $5 billion each to settle lawsuits nationwide over the toll of opioids, and a lawyer said Walmart, a third pharmacy behemoth, is in discussions for a deal.… MORE
Providence Police have charged a city worker with distributing narcotics while on duty as an employee of the Department of Public Works.… MORE
A police department in Massachusetts told prosecutors it lost at least two years of evidence for drug cases. … MORE
Rhode Island has reached a settlement of more than $114 million with an opioid manufacturer and three distributors, most of which will go directly to fighting the crisis and helping people with addiction, state Attorney General Peter Neronha said Tuesday.… MORE
Objections to a historic settlement with Purdue Pharma are mounting in the form of appeals, with Rhode Island’s attorney general saying Wednesday the plan doesn’t hold the OxyContin maker or its owners accountable for its role in sparking the opioid crisis.… MORE
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The number of accidental drug overdose deaths in Rhode Island is on the rise, and the coronavirus pandemic could be partially to blame, state health officials say. There were 233 accidental drug overdose deaths in the first seven months of this year, compared to 185 during the same period last…… MORE
Rhode Island has been awarded $12.6 million in federal funding to combat opioid addiction.
The state’s congressional delegation and Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo announced the grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.… MORE
