Kroger has agreed to pay $110 million to settle claims it helped fuel Kentucky’s opioid crisis by failing to properly monitor the distribution of painkillers in the state. The settlement, announced Thursday, Jan. 9, is part of Kentucky’s broader effort to hold businesses accountable for their role in the state’s opioid epidemic.
Kentucky’s Attorney General Russell Coleman said the grocery chain’s pharmacies in Kentucky dispensed nearly half a billion opioid doses over a 13-year period, accounting for 11% of all pills sold in the state between 2006 and 2019.
Coleman said its more than 100 doses for every man, woman and child living in the state.
He criticized Kroger, saying the company allowed the flow of opioids to continue without adequate safeguards in place.
In a statement, Coleman said Kroger “allowed the fire of addiction to spread across the commonwealth, leaving pain and leaving so much brokenness in its aftermath.”
The lawsuit alleges Kroger did not implement sufficient training for pharmacists to identify and prevent drug abuse when filling opioid prescriptions.
In response, Kroger said its pharmacies follow guidelines, and pointed to its role as the first major retail pharmacy to integrate state prescription drug monitoring programs directly into its pharmacy system.
“The company has long provided associates throughout the pharmacy with robust training, as well as tools to assist pharmacists in their professional judgement.”
Kroger spokesperson
The settlement is not Kroger’s first legal challenge related to the opioid crisis. In 2023, the company agreed to pay more than $1 billion to settle a multi-state lawsuit over its role in the nation’s opioid epidemic.
Under the terms of the Kentucky settlement, half of the $110 million will go to local organizations to support efforts to combat drug addiction, while the remaining funds will be directed to the state’s opioid drug commission.
Kentucky has been one of the states hardest hit by the opioid epidemic. In 2022, the state ranked seventh in the nation for overdose deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, in 2023, Kentucky saw a 10% decline in overdose deaths, thanks in part to increased investment in drug prevention programs and enforcement.
