The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
By Phyllis Beals.
Persons in long-term recovery from substance use disorders and/or family members who have been impacted by the opiate crisis are asked to serve in a volunteer capacity on the newly forming Municipal Alliance Opiate Funds Advisory Subcommittee. Involving people with lived experience and their family members in decisions about opioid settlement funds is crucial because they provide invaluable firsthand knowledge of the challenges, barriers, and effective solutions, leading to more responsive, equitable, and effective programs.
“We recognize the ongoing opioid and fentanyl crisis continues to affect communities throughout New Jersey and Somerset County,” Councilwoman Kimberly Francois commented. “Our Town Council deemed it necessary and appropriate to establish this advisory committee, and we urge residents to be part of this process.” A resolution was passed at the October 28, 2025, Township Council meeting upon recommendation from the Franklin Township Municipal Alliance Committee for Prevention of Substance Abuse. Representatives from the Township Health Advisory Committee, the Municipal Alliance Committee, the Franklin Twp Police Department, substance use prevention leaders and a representative from Somerset County Local Advisory Council on Alcohol and Drug Use. Appointments to this committee will be for a period of one year, and members will serve without compensation.
What are opioid settlement funds?
The opioid epidemic in the United States has resulted in a complex array of lawsuits across the country against pharmaceutical companies and other entities implicated in the crisis, including legal actions taken by states, counties, cities, Native American tribes, and other public entities.
Considering only those matters that have been fully resolved, New Jersey and its local governments will be paid more than $1.1 billion through 2038 pursuant to settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. New Jersey may also secure additional recoveries through ongoing litigation. The State will receive half of the funds, and the other half will be allocated directly to 262 local government entities—all 21 counties and those municipalities with populations above 10,000).
The vast majority of the funds are intended for state and local opioid abatement programs focused on treatment, prevention, and other strategies to combat the opioid epidemic and the harms it inflicts on New Jerseyans. A wide array of prevention programs are also among the approved uses.
Franklin Township was one of the municipalities that have populations over 10,000 or that filed related lawsuits, joining with the state in signing onto the nationwide settlement agreements. The first distributions began in 2022. Persons interested in serving on the committee should contact Phyllis Beals, Co-Chair for the Municipal Alliance for Prevention of Substance Abuse at pebeals@gmail.com or call 732-331-3416.
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