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Arizona to get portion of Kroger's $1.4 billion opioid settlement

Sales of prescription opioid painkillers have quadrupled since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Rich Pedroncelli
/
AP
Sales of prescription opioid painkillers have quadrupled since 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Arizona will get a portion of the $1.4 billion settlement with Kroger for its role in the opioid crisis.

The settlement is part of a recent push to hold pharmacies accountable for business practices that may have contributed to the ongoing opioid crisis.

Kroger operates the grocery store chains Fry’s and Smith’s in Arizona.

It will be distributed to state and local governments as well as tribal communities. Details about how much each entity will receive won’t be available until a final settlement is reached.

The Arizona Attorney General says the chain must agree to “critical business practice changes” before financial terms can be settled.