Maryland Opens Five Virtual Town Halls on Opioid Settlement Spending as State Plans Distribution of $670 Million

Maryland residents have a direct opportunity this week to influence how the state spends hundreds of millions of dollars in opioid settlement money. The Maryland Office of Overdose Response (MOOR) is hosting a series of five virtual regional town halls between August 4 and August 6, 2026, inviting the public to share ideas for using prescription opioid settlement funds to meet unmet needs in their communities.

The events are free, open to the public, and require no registration to attend. Residents who want to speak during a town hall can sign up through the state's Opioid Restitution Fund Virtual Town Hall Registration Form, and those who prefer not to speak — or cannot attend — can submit written testimony through a separate public feedback survey.

The Schedule

The series is organized by region, with each session held via Google Meet:

• Central Maryland — Tuesday, August 4, 5:30–6:30 p.m. (Baltimore City and Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard, Harford, and Carroll counties)
• Capital Region — Wednesday, August 5, 5:30–6:30 p.m. (Montgomery, Prince George's, and Frederick counties)
• Southern Maryland — Wednesday, August 5, 7–8 p.m. (Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's counties)
• Western Maryland — Thursday, August 6, 5:30–6:30 p.m. (Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties)
• Eastern Shore — Thursday, August 6, 7–8 p.m. (Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester counties)

Meeting links and both feedback forms are posted on the state's Opioid Restitution Fund page at stopoverdose.maryland.gov.

What's at Stake: $670 Million Over 18 Years

Maryland's Opioid Restitution Fund (ORF) was established in 2019 to receive all money awarded to the state through prescription opioid-related legal action — settlements with opioid manufacturers, distributors, and retail pharmacies. According to the state's official ORF Primer, current projections put the total at roughly $670.8 million flowing to Maryland and its local subdivisions over 18 years.

Of that total, approximately $160.1 million is distributed directly to counties and municipalities, $284.8 million reaches local subdivisions through targeted distributions, $122.0 million is designated for state-level allocation, and $100.5 million is reserved for additional designated purposes. An ORF Advisory Council, created in 2022 with 12 members serving two-year terms, provides formal recommendations on how the money should be used, as specified by Maryland Health General Article §7.5–903.

The town halls arrive at a moment when the state is actively trying to make settlement spending more transparent. Earlier this year, Maryland launched its Prescription Opioid Settlement Dashboard, an interactive tool showing how much the state has received and expects to receive, how funds have been distributed at state and local levels, and detailed lists of supported programs. The dashboard also includes local abatement plans and expenditure reports from each participating subdivision — meaning residents can walk into this week's town halls with actual numbers about what their county has received and spent.

New Grant Program Adds Urgency to Public Input

The listening sessions also coincide with Maryland's newly announced 2027 Opioid Restitution Fund Grant Program, a competitive opportunity through which eligible organizations can apply for up to $1 million to address the harms of the opioid and overdose crisis. Nonprofits providing non-billable services are eligible, as are nonprofits with billable services proposing projects for disproportionately impacted populations, and governments that do not receive their own direct settlement funding. A pre-application webinar was held July 24, and proposals are evaluated on a uniform set of criteria centered on opioid remediation and filling community gaps.

That combination — active grantmaking, new transparency tools, and a formal request for public ideas — suggests the Office of Overdose Response is under pressure to show that settlement dollars are reaching communities rather than sitting in accounts, a criticism that has dogged several other states' settlement programs.

Why Public Participation Matters

Settlement agreements generally require funds to be spent on opioid remediation — treatment, prevention, harm reduction, recovery support, and related uses — but within those guardrails states and localities have wide discretion. Public comment at forums like these has historically shaped priorities such as naloxone distribution, syringe service programs, recovery housing, school-based prevention, and treatment capacity in underserved rural areas.

For Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore in particular — regions with fewer treatment providers per capita and higher barriers to accessing medication-assisted treatment — the regionalized format gives rural residents a dedicated venue rather than forcing them into a single statewide session dominated by Baltimore and the D.C. suburbs.

What Happens Next

Comments gathered during the August 4–6 series and through the written feedback survey will inform the Office of Overdose Response's spending recommendations and future grant rounds. Residents who miss the live sessions can still submit written testimony through the public feedback survey linked on the ORF page.

Anyone seeking help for a substance use disorder — for themselves or a loved one — can reach the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357, a free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral and information service.