Kentucky is getting more money to fight the ongoing opioid epidemic.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman made the announcement at a recovery center in Covington on Thursday at the Life Learning Center.

Coleman said Kentucky will receive a $110 million settlement from Kroger.

We had the opportunity to join the multi-state effort against Kroger.

This case, though, was different in this multi-state effort.

There is a formula and it is population based.

So Kentucky, despite the harm, would have only received $50 million as opposed to these other states.

So we made a decision to file our own lawsuit.

Kroger and its more than 100 pharmacies across Kentucky was responsible for roughly 444 million opioid doses coming into our Commonwealth over the 13 year period in question.

That's more than 100 opioid doses for every man, every woman and every one of our kids.

In Kentucky, it amounts to 11% of all opioid distributed in the Commonwealth.

It's not just a numbers game.

There are certainly legitimate need for some of these medications.

But most shockingly, there was no serious system in place, no internal serious system in place in Kroger to track or report suspicious activities.

None.

No training for staff, no guidelines.

According to the arrangement created in Kentucky law by our General Assembly.

Half of these funds, half of the hundred and $10 million will be transferred directly to cities and counties, to municipalities through a predetermined formula.

Now, the other half of these settlement dollars, as you may know, will be entrusted to the stewardship of the Kentucky Opioid Advisory Commission.

Last year, the Commission awarded more than $12 million to 51 groups aiding an opioid prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across the state.