Androscoggin County is expected to get at least $1.1 million, Franklin County $1.3 million, and Oxford County nearly $2.6 million in opioid settlement funds to prevent and fight opioid addiction.

The money comes from government settlements with pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributers and pharmacies, and other sources that played a part in the nation’s opioid epidemic.

Danna Hayes, director of public affairs for the Office of the Maine Attorney General, said Maine anticipates receiving at least $230 million through 2038 from the settlements already decided.

The funds will be distributed by the counties. Towns might be getting their own funds from the settlements, Hayes wrote in an email.

The funds must go toward prevention and harm reduction efforts, treatment services and recovery programs.

Some money has already been received and earmarked by the counties.

Franklin and Oxford counties created committees that include medical professionals and others to decide how to use the money. In Franklin County, a sheriff’s sergeant and county commissioner are also on the settlement committee.

Androscoggin County commissioners decided early on to turn the money it receives over to the Androscoggin County Jail to help those in custody recover from addiction and stay off opioid drugs when they are released.

“As far as programs, we primarily use the money to help fund Medication-Assisted Treatment. This includes counseling, the treatment, and ensuring resources are available to connect offenders transitioning to the community to name a few areas,” Administrator Jeff Chute wrote in an email.

Franklin County already received $418,807 in settlement money. The committee had previously awarded $22,900 of it in grants and on Nov. 4 approved uses for another $113,078 in grants for projects that met the four goals for the opioid settlement funding.

The grants ranged from family focused yoga at the Recovery Center in Franklin County to a mentorship program for youth to provide them with real-life entrepreneurial experiences and skills.

As of April this year, Oxford County has received about $784,372 from the settlement, according to information on its website. The county awarded $457,820 in grants in September to two recovery centers and other agencies or organizations meeting the goals of the settlement.

Settlement funds are allocated within Maine according to two memoranda of understandings between the Attorney General’s Office and the counties, cities, and towns that filed opioid lawsuits.

Of the total amount Maine receives, 30% will be directly paid to eligible counties, cities and towns, including every county in Maine. Fifty percent will go to the Maine Recovery Fund for statewide distribution by the Recovery Council. And 20% is allocated to the Attorney General’s Office.

Despite its lower population, Oxford County is expected to receive more than Androscoggin County.

Hayes said the allocations are based on a variety of factors included in a national distribution model. The allocations were not suggested or decided by the Maine Office of the Attorney General, she wrote in an email.

Among the factors are a state’s or area’s proportionate share of the impact of the opioid epidemic, including amount of opioids shipped to the state or area, number of opioid-related deaths, and number of people who suffer opioid use disorder, according to the information provided by Hayes.

Ultimately, the model allocates settlement funds in proportion to where the opioid crisis caused harm.