Letter to the editor: Opioid settlement money will be misused

After reading the story “Westmoreland County signs on to $26B settlement in opioid lawsuit” (Dec. 20, TribLIVE), I couldn’t help think that settlement money will do nothing to stop a single addict from using and/or overdosing.

The interesting part of the story was learning that J&J is the parent company of a sued pharma company. J&J is making a ton of money selling covid vaccines to the government!

The settlement money would be paid over 18 years. Long enough to disperse that money into enough pockets and greedy hands with very little oversight to how it is being used.

The misuses will be many. Spend it on advertising that junkies don’t see or care to see. Pay rent for places to hold “town hall meetings” and “self-help workshops.” Or pay salaries to so-called professionals to tell the junkies “it’s not your fault.” Courts to go lenient on drug offenders because “prison isn’t the place for addicts.” Better yet, use the money to purchase Narcan and clean needles so junkies can get their fix day after day.

Problem is, maybe they drive while high and crash their car head-on into an oncoming car with the undesired result … the junkie survives while an innocent family is destroyed. Keep enabling.

Paul A. Hornbake

Bolivar