Carbon County is ready to receive its slice of a $26 billion national opioid settlement.

Last week, the commissioners ratified opening a new account for the funds. Carbon will receive $4.5 million over the next 18 years as part of the settlement with Cardinal, Mc­Kesson, and Amerisource Bergen, the top three pharmaceutical distributors and Johnson & Johnson, which manufactured and delivered opioids.

As of Thursday morning, the county hadn’t received its first installment, but it was expected by the end of the week.

“How it is going to be spent yet, we still need to meet with (Carbon-Monroe-Pike) Drug and Alcohol and the people who are going to administer the program ... and it’s going to be heavily regulated as well,” said Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein. “Maybe we won’t have a lot of choices on what’s happening.”

Nothstein said the board is limited on what the funds could be used for and must be centered around opioid measures.

Commissioner Rocky Ahner said that the county probably won’t have enough money to do everything they want and need to do, but said if the drug of choice changes from opioids to something else, the county isn’t sure how that will change the settlement rules.

The current drug of choice in Carbon is methamphetamine. Carbon County first signed onto this settlement in December.

At that time, it was determined that Pennsylvania could receive approximately $1 billion, which would then be distributed to counties and other entities.

Then Carbon County Solicitor Daniel Miscavige outlined the distribution, saying that Pennsylvania will receive 15% of the settlement; while 70% will be distributed to the counties. The remaining 15% will then be distributed to bellwethers, or counties who filed additional ligation in the matter. Carbon County is one of the bellwethers. The amount for this additional percentage that will come to Carbon County has yet to be determined.

Under the terms of the settlement, counties can use the funds for opioid abatement programs such as purchasing naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses, assist medication-assisted treatment distribution or other opioid-related treatment, expand screening for pregnant and postpartum women who are uninsured or non-Medicaid eligible, expand the treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome and warm handoff programs and recovery services, enhancing treatments for opioid use disorder, connect people who need help to resources they need, address the needs of criminal justice-involved individuals, prevent overprescribing and dispensing of opioids and more.