At This Hour

The state panel that will decide how Ohio distributes more than half of the money it will receive from a nationwide settlement regarding the opioid addiction crisis must make its records publicly available, the state Supreme Court ruled. In their unanimous ruling, the justices rejected the OneOhio Recovery Foundation’s claim that it was a private nonprofit corporation and therefore not subject to the state’s open public records law. The justices found the foundation “misstates its function,” noting it’s not responsible for providing treatment, education or prevention services, but rather giving settlement money to those who do provide such services. The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Harm Reduction Ohio, a drug policy reform group that has sought documents related to the panel’s board meetings and “numerous” committee meetings involving “hiring, finances, bylaws and other matters.”