Mayor Linda Gorton announced Wednesday the creation of the Opioid Abatement Commission that will be responsible for suggesting to administration and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council how to allocate the National Opioid Litigation settlement funds. A joint lawsuit with additional cities and states resulted in an agreement that granted crucial resources to fight the opioid epidemic, Gorton said. “This is a very big deal,” Gorton said. “These funds will come to Lexington from drug companies that helped fuel the epidemic.” The entirety of the funds are expected to be dispersed over the next 20 years due to the ongoing litigation. Some defendants have settled and others declared bankruptcy.