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— have published guidance identifying specific items and activities as unallowable uses of opioid settlement funds. This reference consolidates those lists and adds items OPI considers unallowable based on Exhibit E, evidence review, and accountability work.
| Item or activity | State inclusion | Rationale |
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Drawn from OPI's whitepaper, these principles guide how unallowable spending guidance should be developed, updated, and used.
Defining what is unallowable helps decision-makers spend in ways that align with the intent of the opioid settlement money, which is reducing opioid-related death and disease. When developing guidance, start from the examples set by California, Indiana, Kansas, South Carolina, and Virginia.
An ongoing review of spending can identify problematic patterns. Guidance should be updated to reflect emerging issues or provide clarification. A clear change log and dissemination strategy helps decision-makers keep track of evolving guidance.
The widespread prohibitions on traditional law enforcement equipment and activities signal a clear collective intent to shift funding away from supply-side enforcement and toward evidence, public health, and demand-side strategies. Unallowable spending guidance must support Exhibit E and the intention of the opioid settlements.
Decision-makers tasked with spending opioid settlement money benefit from clear, upfront guidance on what is and is not allowable. The same guidance helps evaluation, oversight, and enforcement bodies consistently review spending decisions.
OPI additions. Items marked OPI addition are not currently on any state list. They reflect OPI's own position and rationale, drawn from Exhibit E of the national settlement agreement, evidence review, and accountability work. Items listed by states carry the weight of those states' published guidance.
Explicit vs. implied. A state's position can take two forms:
Use the state filters to see each state's list on its own, or combine filters to see the union. The "OPI additions" filter isolates items that no state lists but OPI flags based on the whitepaper.
The underlying guidance each state has published, plus OPI's whitepaper. PDFs are hosted alongside this site, so links remain stable.
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