Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes announced a $1.37 billion settlement with Kroger, the latest in a series of settlements addressing the grocery chain’s role in the opioid crisis. Utah is set to receive around $45 million for opioid abatement, with funds expected to begin arriving early next year. Kroger, which operates in Utah under the Smith’s Food and Drug brand, has agreed to the settlement as part of a bipartisan coalition involving 30 state attorneys general.
There are close to two dozen Smith’s stores throughout the state, including a Smith’s Food and Drug and a Smith’s Marketplace in Logan, plus a Smith’s Food and Drug in Brigham City.
“This recovery, combined with other settlements, now exceeds $500 million in funds to fight the opioid crisis in Utah,” said Reyes. “These dollars will help many escape the cycle of addiction and prevent a new generation of Utahns from becoming dependent on opioids.”
With legislative approval, the settlement funds will be allocated to opioid treatment and recovery initiatives, preventive services, and criminal justice efforts to aid Utah communities struggling with the impact of the opioid crisis.
The settlement follows a lawsuit filed in state court in 2022, in which the Utah AG’s office alleged Kroger was Utah’s largest pharmacy buyer and dispenser of opioids between 2006 and 2014, distributing over 140 million doses of oxycodone and hydrocodone. In Price, a city of about 8,000 people, Kroger reportedly distributed enough pills to supply each resident with 71 doses over a seven-year period.
The suit also claimed that Kroger incentivized its pharmacists with bonuses and perks based on the volume and speed of prescriptions filled, including opioids.
“This is a great result for Utah and for our AG team on the front lines of this issue,” said Division Director Douglas Crapo, Director of the AG Office’s Division of White Collar & Commercial Enforcement.
The state will keep its lawsuit active until the settlement is finalized in a consent decree, securing additional legal protections.