County of Bucks (Credit: LevittownNow)
Bucks County took a notable step in how opioid settlement dollars can be used, potentially shaping decisions far beyond its borders.
The Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust, in a reversal of earlier guidance, approved Bucks County’s plan to use a portion of its settlement funds to hire a public defender focused on opioid and substance use disorder cases.
The decision marks a modest but meaningful win for county leaders seeking flexibility, as well as for advocates who argue public defenders are a critical and chronically underfunded part of the addiction response system.
Bucks County Chief Public Defender Niels Eriksen Jr. has been blunt about the strain on his office, noting public defenders fall far behind law enforcement and prosecutors in funding. While the trust has historically discouraged using settlement dollars for defense services, critics say that stance fails to support the role of public defenders in steering people with addiction toward treatment rather than deeper involvement in the criminal justice system.
The approval could set a precedent for other counties, though its scope is limited. Bucks County has committed to restricting the new position to clients dealing specifically with opioid or substance use disorders. Still, the move highlights an ongoing statewide debate over how billions in opioid settlement funds should be allocated — and whether current distribution formulas unfairly favor district attorneys’ offices that pursued separate litigation against drug manufacturers.
