Prepared remarks: Attorney General Weiser opening address at 2025 Colorado Opioid Abatement Conference

“From Ground Gained to the Horizon Ahead”

Good morning, everyone.

It is a privilege to welcome you to the Fourth Annual Colorado Opioid Abatement Conference. Each year, this gathering brings together the people doing important and inspiring work in our state.

Whether you’re coming from a rural county, tribal nation, law enforcement office, public health department, treatment program, or recovery community — you are an essential part of Colorado’s collective response to this public health crisis devastating our communities.

This conference is about learning from one another, experimentation, and collaboration. Together, we are taking important steps to address this crisis. And that is reflected in this year’s theme — “From Ground Gained to the Horizon Ahead”: We’ve made significant progress and we know there’s still hard work ahead.

I. A Year of Measurable Progress

Over the past year, our state has taken major steps forward through steady, coordinated work. I am proud to report that, after several years of work, we finalized the landmark settlement with the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma in 2025, ending the family’s control of Purdue Pharma and barring them from ever selling opioids in the U.S. again. Under this agreement, Colorado will receive $75 million from this settlement over 15 years — funds that will directly support treatment, prevention, and recovery efforts statewide.

One of my first actions as Attorney General was to sue the Sackler family for how their actions fueled this crisis. The Sacklers’ conduct was outrageous, illegal, and immoral; this settlement ends their involvement with Purdue Pharma and provides a measure of accountability for their wrongdoing. Under the Sacklers’ ownership, Purdue made and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling a monumental drug crisis in our nation. Many other firms supported and enabled this dangerous scheme—and we have worked to hold them accountable, too.

Taken together, including a multistate case with 8 opioid manufacturers, Colorado has now secured over $880 million in opioid-related funds over 18 years. Of those funds, more than $130 million has been distributed to communities across the state, strengthening prevention, expanding treatment in underserved areas, and increasing access to recovery support. In 2025 alone, our department: (1) invested $5 million in Round 3 Opioid Infrastructure grants; (2) provided $3 million in state-share funding to support our Naloxone Bulk Purchase Program; (3) just launched a new $12 million-dollar competitive funding opportunity (the Resilient Colorado Grant); and (4) are helping to administer our Colorado Opioid Abatement Council’s (or the COAC, as it is called) launch of an $11 million-dollar competitive funding opportunity (Round 4 of our state’s Infrastructure share).

I am proud to report that we are seeing early results. The results from 2024 show a 31% reduction in fentanyl overdose and poisoning deaths from November 2023 to November 2024. That’s an estimated 336 fewer fentanyl deaths in 2024—336 lives saved and families spared unimaginable loss.

That progress is a testament to your work — increasing naloxone access, improving treatment in jails and prisons, strengthening recovery support, and expanding prevention education. But this crisis is still with us and we cannot let up on this work. Moreover, some communities are seeing real improvements; others, however, are still struggling. Notably, Black, Indigenous and Hispanic communities have not seen the same reductions in overdose rates.

II. Leading with Transparency and Integrity

As we build on our momentum, we’re also reaffirming how we do this work. Colorado continues to set the national standard for transparency in opioid settlement spending. Every dollar — across all 19 regions, local governments, and the state share — is tracked and visible on our public dashboard. We are committed to ensuring that every dollar is focused on this crisis, and that these funds are not simply used to backfill existing programs, thereby negating the impact of these settlement dollars. To that end, the COAC issued new statewide guidance on supplanting, making it clear that opioid settlement funds must be used to add to, not replace, existing budgets. These funds are for building capacity, and not for backfilling deficits.

Everyone here recognizes the importance that these settlement dollars protect communities, preserve trust, and are used for their intended purposes — to save lives and build recovery systems that last. Transparency and integrity are the foundation of our trusted system.

What we’ve built here continues to inspire national recognition — not because it’s perfect, but because it’s collaborative. Notably, 90% of settlement funds go to local and regional partners—as quickly as possible. We have also supported one another, exemplified by the fact that all 19 regional councils have submitted and are implementing two-year plans. As demonstrated by this conference, we’ve built a network of shared learning, which also includes regional roundtables and cross-sector partnerships, allowing for good ideas to be scaled statewide.

This community-driven model is what makes Colorado different. We aim not to impose from the top down — but rather, we build from the ground up. And we know that success in this work doesn’t belong to one person or one office. It belongs to all of us — the people who are doing the hard, patient, daily work of saving lives and rebuilding communities.

III. A Critical Time for Leadership

We are facing unprecedented times, testing our resolve and leadership. Over the last year, I have been busy defending Coloradans against harmful and illegal actions from the federal government.

When the federal government attempted to pull $11 billion in critical public health and behavioral health funding, including $229 million for Colorado, I knew we had to act. We sued and won a court order to block those cuts.

When the federal government attempted to eliminate nearly 90% of the Americorps workforce, I took action and we succeeded in reinstating hundreds of programs that were unlawfully cancelled.

We’re also monitoring the potential for future federal cuts to Medicaid and other health programs. Our office remains committed to defending these essential resources — because behavioral health care is health care, and Colorado families cannot afford rollbacks.

In 2025, my office has filed 39 lawsuits against the federal government and worked to defend Colorado law and Colorado communities against harmful and illegal actions from the federal government. I will continue to fight for Colorado.

IV. Leading from Our Values

Throughout today’s agenda, you’ll hear the values of the Colorado Opioid Abatement Council that continue to guide our work. This includes making life-saving investments; focusing on evidence-based strategies to prevent overdoses and improve health outcomes; investing in a range of strategies to help people recover from addiction; keeping equity in mind; learning from those with lived experience; and ensuring that we spend the funds transparently, effectively, and fairly.

I am big believer in walking the walk and living our values. That’s why our department has worked hard to become certified as a Recovery Friendly Workplace through the Colorado School of Public Health’s initiative. This certification reflects our commitment to creating a culture where employees negatively impacted by substance use are supported, not stigmatized. It means we’re providing education, resources, and space for open dialogue. And it means modeling what recovery-friendly leadership looks like — because the work of saving lives begins in how we treat one another.

Last year, to acknowledge the pain and losses of those who died because of opioid use disorder, we invited participants to experience the Stories in Black and White exhibit. This year, we invite you to revisit those stories. They serve as a reminder that behind every statistic is a human life, a grieving family, and a community forever changed. We also welcome back our “Nothing About Us Without Us Panel.” This year, we speak about not just listening to stories, but also ensuring individuals with lived experience have voice in decision-making. And for the first time, we will hear story-telling in action with new Ignite Sessions, that highlight community stories of hope and triumph.

This evening, I look forward to coming together to celebrate the progress happening across Colorado. Our aim this year is to continue to bridge and forge lasting and strategic partnerships between our partners in treatment, behavioral health and substance use fields with our partners in the law enforcement and business communities. With that in mind, we will award recipients as Recovery Friendly Workplace Champions and Peer Recovery Jail Champions.

As we continue this journey, I want to offer three guiding principles for our shared work. First, stay bold. Innovation means taking risks, learning, and trying again. Don’t be afraid to challenge what isn’t working. Second, stay connected. The relationships built here today are instrumental outcomes of this conference. Keep sharing and collaborating across regions. Third, stay accountable. Measure what matters and be transparent with your communities.

* * *

Colorado’s response to the opioid crisis is making a difference. We are saving lives. We are expanding recovery. We are building communities of care. And we’re also listening, learning, and improving. As we look toward the horizon ahead and the important work ahead, let’s do so with clear conviction, candid and open dialogue, and unwavering purpose. Thank you for your leadership and dedication — together, we continue to build a stronger, safer, and more compassionate Colorado.

Let’s get to work.

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References:

Press Release, Colorado Department of Law, Attorney General Phil Weiser sues HHS, Secretary Kennedy to overturn illegal public health grant cuts (April 1, 2025), available at https://coag.gov/press-releases/weiser-sues-hhs-kennedy-public-health-grant-cuts-4-1-25/.

Press Release, Colorado Department of Law, Attorney General Phil Weiser statement on court ruling blocking HHS, Secretary Kennedy from cutting public health funding (May 16, 2025), available at https://coag.gov/press-releases/attorney-general-phil-weiser-ruling-blocking-hhs-kennedy-cuts-5-16-25/.

Press Release, Colorado Department of Law, Attorney General Phil Weiser prevents cuts to AmeriCorps service programs (Aug. 29, 2025), available at https://coag.gov/press-releases/attorney-general-phil-weiser-prevents-cuts-to-americorps-service-programs/.

See Defending Colorado, available at https://coag.gov/defending-colorado/.