Jackley joined by Mayors TenHaken and Salamun in call to release opioid settlement funds

Attorney general says Sioux Falls, Rapid City already have existing addiction treatment programs that are working

Attorney General Marty Jackley and the mayors of the state’s two largest cities joined forces Wednesday to ask that $31.4 million in drug settlement money be released immediately to existing rehabilitation programs in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.

That money is what the state has already received in National Opioid Settlement funds that pharmacy manufacturers and distributors have paid to South Dakota for bringing highly addictive pain killers to the market. It’s less than half the $79 million that the state is expected to receive in total settlement dollars.

Prior to Jackley taking office in 2020, the Legislature passed a law that designated a committee to decide how the funds should be appropriated. Jackley said he wanted to be respectful of that committee, but he warned that he would go to the Legislature in January to get the funds released to existing programs if the committee won’t do it.