MARION — The town of Marion has joined a statewide class action lawsuit against four major pharmaceutical companies to help fund opioid abuse prevention efforts.

The decision, which Town Administrator Jay McGrail announced at the Dec. 7 Select Board meeting, will earn Marion a still undetermined amount of money to be used for opioid use awareness and prevention.

The funds are part of a class action lawsuit filed by Attorney General Maura Healy against Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen – the nation’s largest drug distributors – and Johnson & Johnson, which manufactured and marketed opioids.

The settlement provided $537 million to cities and towns across the commonwealth over 18 years that opted to join the suit, although McGrail said this number could change as more communities become involved.

The money must be used to fund prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery efforts.

The money Marion would receive is “very targeted’’ to opioid abuse prevention, McGrail said.

Marion will use the money to support efforts by the Board of Health to develop opioid abuse prevention strategies in the schools, McGrail said.

The town joined the suit to receive funds to help battle opioid addiction and “just as importantly,’’ McGrail said, to add to the number of cities and towns involved in the lawsuit. The more communities are involved, the more money will be available to the state, he said.

McGrail said that Marion is not immune to opioid-related issues. “It’s a far-reaching problem,’’ McGrail said. The issue has “touched every part of our country, particularly with prescription medication issues.’’

The only other way Marion could receive funds from the settlement would be to file suit on its own, McGrail said.