Attorneys for local governments across the country unveiled a plan Friday that they say would move the nation closer to a global settlement of lawsuits stemming from the deadly opioid crisis.

Final payouts could rival the massive tobacco settlements of the 1990s. Such a deal, if reached, could funnel tens of billions of dollars to communities struggling with the opioid addiction crisis, while restoring stability to one of the country's biggest industries.

"There has got to be a comprehensive approach to addressing the national epidemic, and this is a step toward that," said Joe Rice, co-lead council for attorneys who filed the motion, representing hundreds of the communities suing Big Pharma.

He said the framework, which attorneys plan to file in federal court in Ohio and still needs approval by the court, would funnel money to more than 25,000 communities across the U.S. to help them fight the opioid crisis. It would also offer companies a resolution to the tsunami of litigation.

"The defendants don't have a sense of how they get closure, how can they put this issue behind them," Rice said. "So they have asked us for a roadmap."

In all, more than 1,800 lawsuits have been filed so far against drugmakers such as Johnson and Johnson, distributors like McKesson and street-corner pharmacies like CVS and Walmart. Plaintiffs claim the companies earned billions in profit by aggressively marketing and selling prescription opioids.