Recent reporting on the attorney general’s handling of opioid settlement funds raises serious concerns about transparency and oversight. Maine has secured more than $260 million through opioid settlements, money intended to address a crisis that has taken thousands of lives in our state.

Those funds were divided deliberately, with clear rules for the Maine Recovery Council and new reporting requirements for counties and municipalities. Yet the portion controlled directly by the Attorney General’s Office, 20% of the total, operates without comparable disclosure standards or a defined decision-making process.

Under Attorney General Aaron Frey, the office has already spent $10 million of its allocation, much of it without a formal grant process, public meetings or advance public disclosure.

No one disputes the urgency of responding to addiction and overdose. The concern is not whether the money was spent on worthy causes, but whether any single office should be able to direct millions of dollars without the same level of oversight required of others.

The settlement agreements caution against using these funds to replace existing budget obligations. When settlement dollars are used to backfill shortfalls following legislative budget decisions, public confidence is undermined.

We’ve learned lessons from past settlements where funds drifted away from their original purpose. We shouldn’t repeat those mistakes. Transparency isn’t optional, and accountability shouldn’t depend on voluntary disclosure.

We owe it to Mainers to ensure every dollar of opioid settlement funding is subject to clear standards, public reporting and meaningful oversight, regardless of which office controls it.

Sen. Bradley Farrin
Norridgewock