SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes, along with 30 other state attorneys general, announced Monday the completion of a $1.37 billion settlement with Kroger over the grocery chain's role in the opioid crisis. As part of the settlement, Utah will receive $45 million for opioid abatement. Those payments are expected to start next year.
Kroger does business in Utah as Smith's Food and Drug.
“It is my duty and honor as Utah’s Attorney General to defend our communities against countless threats, including the death and carnage wrought by the misuse of opioids," said Attorney General Reyes said about the settlement. "This recovery, combined with others the Utah AG's Office has helped lead across America, now exceeds $500 million in settlement funds. These dollars will help liberate many caught in the cycle of addiction and prevent another generation of Utahns from ever becoming dependent on opioids in the first place.”
Utah's Attorney General Reyes filed the lawsuit in state court back in 2022, alleging Kroger was the largest pharmacy buyer and dispenser of opioids in Utah from 2006 to 2014. The company allegedly purchased and dispensed more than 140 million dosage units of oxycodone and hydrocodone during that time frame alone. That accounts for more than 15% of the statewide volume of those specific drugs.
Despite this massive volume of opioids distributed in Utah, the State alleged that Kroger implemented policies that awarded pharmacists with bonuses and other perks based on the number and speed of prescriptions filled, including prescriptions for controlled substances.
Under approval from the Utah State Legislature, opioid litigation funds are shared with counties and are spent toward initiatives surrounding Opioid Use Disorder treatment, recovery, expanded needed services, prevention, and criminal justice to increase access to recovery for individuals suffering from addiction and preventing individuals from developing an addiction to opioids in the future.
