Attorney General Tim Griffin has announced that Arkansas will receive up to $13,535,086.30 from a $1.37 billion settlement involving Kroger and 29 other states. This settlement addresses Kroger's role in the opioid crisis.
Griffin stated, "Opioid addiction continues to be a scourge in Arkansas and our nation. I am pleased with this settlement as the funds will go to opioid abatement. I am grateful to the bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general who worked together on behalf of their citizens to hold Kroger accountable."
The state's share will be distributed over 11 payments until 2034. As part of the agreement, Kroger's pharmacies must monitor, report, and share data about suspicious activities related to opioid prescriptions.
Between 2006 and 2014, nearly 1.5 billion units of opioids were distributed in Arkansas. By 2016, the state had one of the highest prescription rates in the country.
In November 2023, Griffin allocated $50 million from previous settlements for establishing the National Center for Opioid Research & Clinical Effectiveness at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
Tim Griffin was sworn in as Attorney General on January 10, 2023. He previously served as Lieutenant Governor and represented Arkansas’s Second Congressional District. Griffin is also an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
Griffin has held various roles throughout his career including U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas and Special Assistant to President George W. Bush.