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FILE – The overdose reversal drug Narcan is displayed during training for Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) employees Dec. 4, 2018, in Philadelphia. The US Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, marking the first time an opioid treatment drug will be available without a prescription. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

(Center Square) – As the Pennsylvania Opioid Trust changes some board members, a state lawmaker in the running wants the public to focus on the victim of addiction – and what can be done to improve the state in the coming years.

“Our goal was to get this money out as quickly as we could, because people in Pennsylvania are dying, and those related to those who died were looking to us to do the job, to turn the tide of what he did the opioid disaster,” Rep. Rep. Jim Gregory, R-Hollidaysburg, said.

Gregory, who has spoken about his struggle with drug addiction, was appointed to the trust in August 2022 as a House representative. He lost his re-election bid in April, and Rep. Jim Struzzi took his seat on the council in July.

Despite some delays in approving county projects, he felt the trust was effectively carrying out its duties.

“I feel like Pennsylvania was doing a much better job than other states,” Gregory said. “We just recognize the wisdom of how to avoid making similar mistakes that other states have made.”

For the trust to work better, he argued, it will require more communication between the trust and county leaders.

“It’s a partnership between the board and those county governments that have been tasked with knowing how and what to do with that money in a timely manner,” Gregory said. “I think we could do a better job working together.”

Some of the problems also can be growing pains. A number of counties are going through the appeals process to challenge the trust’s rulings that some expenses were not authorized. The first test, brought in early September by Somerset County, did not change the trust’s decision, although they still praised the county’s work. As local leaders see what others are doing, future problems may arise.

“We all need to make sure it is used to make up for the amount of damage that has been done to families, victims and our economy.” Gregory said. “The effects that we’re all paying for … we also recognize that every single person in Pennsylvania has been affected by this, and that’s really what the money is for.”

While most of the money will be spent by county governments, the General Assembly will also decide how to use some of the billion dollars coming to Pennsylvania over the next 18 years.

Gregory had proposed a grant program to support recovery services that eventually passed in the House as part of a different bill by Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-Pittsburgh, but has since sat in the Senate. Legislature is out of time.

Money for that program could come from opioid settlement money, Gregory noted, but with just a few session days left, it could expire.

“There are opportunities on the table as we speak that this money could be invested in, and it’s important to me because it’s my bill.” Gregory said. “But right now, I don’t feel good about his prospects. It’s disappointing.”

Although Pennsylvania has been one of the worst-hit states for overdose deaths — more than 5,000 residents have died annually for years — there are hopes that may not stay that way.

Public health data showed a national drop in overdose deaths of nearly 11 percent.

“After an increase in 2022, we see opioid overdose ED visits falling to some of the lowest levels in nearly a decade in the second half of 2023,” wrote Nabarun Dasgupta of the University of North Carolina, regarding Allegheny County.

State leaders’ priorities matter to ensure that money is spent and spent well — and local priorities matter, too.

Gregory noted that county officials are quick to use the money for farmland preservation, but some have been slower to figure out how to use the opioid settlement money.

“Imagine how the farmers in their community would feel if they didn’t use that money if they didn’t use it for farmland conservation.” Gregory said. “If they treated it like they would the farmland preservation, then you can understand how they would move more aggressively.”

Local support – and criticism – could be the key. Leaders don’t focus on something if communities don’t make an issue.

“There should be no excuse not to take out the opiate settlement money and treat it as important before it’s gone,” Gregory said.