BATON ROUGE - The opioid crisis in the state continues but not without a fight from state leaders and Netflix star Dan Schneider from the Netflix drama The Pharmacist.

"It's been a long journey. It started when my son was murdered," Dan said.

Schneider's son was shot and killed in a drug deal 22 years ago. His son's death inspired him to crack down on pill mills that were a part of a nationwide opioid crisis.

Today, he continues the fight, but with a celebration as the state settles a historic legal battle with pharmaceutical companies and distributors.

Louisiana is set to receive $18 million a year for the next 18 years, which will be allocated to all 64 parishes.

To qualify for a payout, local governments in each parish will have to pass an MOU, a memorandum of understanding before processing begins.

Each parish will receive funds based on the conditions of their communities. The parishes with the largest opioid crisis will likely be allocated the most money.

"Once they get sued, their attention is gotten," the Netflix star said.

For East Baton Rouge, opioids use has risen in the last few years. Two years ago, 126 overdose deaths were recorded. That number doubled in 2020.

As of September, 214 deaths have been recorded.

Once local governments acknowledge the settlement, the East Baton Rouge metro council plans to make decisions regarding the settlement.

Dan says he hopes the settlement can decrease those numbers.

"Treatment and recovery are very expensive. Okay, but you have got to start somewhere, and this is one of the very first times that I know of now that we are actually getting the people responsible for helping to create this," Schneider said.

Next, state leaders head to the drawing board to figure when payouts will begin.