Opioid Addiction in the US, Heroin and Oxys

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  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,852
    And a global pandemic certainly isn't going to help drive those numbers down.

    I hear ya, but super cheap and super addictive. Probably my only libertarian view I'll ever have is that all drugs should be legalized. Because the war on drugs has clearly never worked. Legalize it all, regulate it all, make it accessible to all. And on the other end of the spectrum - socialize the healthcare system. At least at the end of the day you're keeping people out of incarceration systems and into health systems, safe places.
    Haven’t you witnessed the effects of the Devil’s Weed? Driving ‘Murica to ruin with its wicked ways.
    It’s the “Devil’s Lettuce” on the down low…
  • Halifax2TheMaxHalifax2TheMax Posts: 36,478
    And a global pandemic certainly isn't going to help drive those numbers down.

    I hear ya, but super cheap and super addictive. Probably my only libertarian view I'll ever have is that all drugs should be legalized. Because the war on drugs has clearly never worked. Legalize it all, regulate it all, make it accessible to all. And on the other end of the spectrum - socialize the healthcare system. At least at the end of the day you're keeping people out of incarceration systems and into health systems, safe places.
    Haven’t you witnessed the effects of the Devil’s Weed? Driving ‘Murica to ruin with its wicked ways.
    It’s the “Devil’s Lettuce” on the down low…
    Lettuce is a weed, no? Like “no fruit in my beer,” no weeds with my meat. Off to be satan’s Minion, you! Burn!
    09/15/1998 & 09/16/1998, Mansfield, MA; 08/29/00 08/30/00, Mansfield, MA; 07/02/03, 07/03/03, Mansfield, MA; 09/28/04, 09/29/04, Boston, MA; 09/22/05, Halifax, NS; 05/24/06, 05/25/06, Boston, MA; 07/22/06, 07/23/06, Gorge, WA; 06/27/2008, Hartford; 06/28/08, 06/30/08, Mansfield; 08/18/2009, O2, London, UK; 10/30/09, 10/31/09, Philadelphia, PA; 05/15/10, Hartford, CT; 05/17/10, Boston, MA; 05/20/10, 05/21/10, NY, NY; 06/22/10, Dublin, IRE; 06/23/10, Northern Ireland; 09/03/11, 09/04/11, Alpine Valley, WI; 09/11/11, 09/12/11, Toronto, Ont; 09/14/11, Ottawa, Ont; 09/15/11, Hamilton, Ont; 07/02/2012, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/04/2012 & 07/05/2012, Berlin, Germany; 07/07/2012, Stockholm, Sweden; 09/30/2012, Missoula, MT; 07/16/2013, London, Ont; 07/19/2013, Chicago, IL; 10/15/2013 & 10/16/2013, Worcester, MA; 10/21/2013 & 10/22/2013, Philadelphia, PA; 10/25/2013, Hartford, CT; 11/29/2013, Portland, OR; 11/30/2013, Spokane, WA; 12/04/2013, Vancouver, BC; 12/06/2013, Seattle, WA; 10/03/2014, St. Louis. MO; 10/22/2014, Denver, CO; 10/26/2015, New York, NY; 04/23/2016, New Orleans, LA; 04/28/2016 & 04/29/2016, Philadelphia, PA; 05/01/2016 & 05/02/2016, New York, NY; 05/08/2016, Ottawa, Ont.; 05/10/2016 & 05/12/2016, Toronto, Ont.; 08/05/2016 & 08/07/2016, Boston, MA; 08/20/2016 & 08/22/2016, Chicago, IL; 07/01/2018, Prague, Czech Republic; 07/03/2018, Krakow, Poland; 07/05/2018, Berlin, Germany; 09/02/2018 & 09/04/2018, Boston, MA; 09/08/2022, Toronto, Ont; 09/11/2022, New York, NY; 09/14/2022, Camden, NJ; 09/02/2023, St. Paul, MN;

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  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,852
    And a global pandemic certainly isn't going to help drive those numbers down.

    I hear ya, but super cheap and super addictive. Probably my only libertarian view I'll ever have is that all drugs should be legalized. Because the war on drugs has clearly never worked. Legalize it all, regulate it all, make it accessible to all. And on the other end of the spectrum - socialize the healthcare system. At least at the end of the day you're keeping people out of incarceration systems and into health systems, safe places.
    Haven’t you witnessed the effects of the Devil’s Weed? Driving ‘Murica to ruin with its wicked ways.
    It’s the “Devil’s Lettuce” on the down low…
    Lettuce is a weed, no? Like “no fruit in my beer,” no weeds with my meat. Off to be satan’s Minion, you! Burn!
    A weed is something that usually sucks out the life of the good plants though.  Referring it to lettuce makes it sound much more wholesome.

    There is a NY times article that I can't access that discusses how justice looks like when you're the Sackler family.  The title seems on par w the HBO doc someone mentioned earlier.
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
      How Did the Sacklers Pull This Off? https://nyti.ms/3r8WdTa

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  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,852
    mickeyrat said:
      How Did the Sacklers Pull This Off? https://nyti.ms/3r8WdTa

    That's the article!
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
    US opioid lawsuits on verge of settlements with 4 companies
    By GEOFF MULVIHILL
    Today

    The yearslong effort by state and local governments in the U.S. to force the pharmaceutical industry to help pay to fix a nationwide opioid addiction and overdose crisis took a major step forward Tuesday when lawyers for local governments announced they were on the verge of a $26 billion settlement with the nation's three biggest drug distribution companies and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson.

    Under the deal, Johnson & Johnson would not produce any opioids for at least a decade. And AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson share prescribing information under a new system intended to stop the avalanches of pills that arrived in some regions about a decade ago.

    Lawyers for local governments said full details could be shared within days. That would not be the end of the deal though; each state would have 30 days to decide whether to join. And local governments will have five months after that to decide. If governments don't opt in, the settlement total would go down.

    “This is a nationwide crisis and it could have been and should have been addressed perhaps by other branches of government,” Paul Geller, one of the lead lawyers representing local governments across the U.S., said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday. “But this really is an example of the use of litigation for fixing a national problem.”

    If approved, the settlement will likely be the biggest of many settlements to opioid litigation. While it means billions for lawyers who worked the cases, it is expected to bring more than $23 billion to abatement and mitigation efforts to help get treatment for people who are addicted along with other programs to address the crisis. The money would come in 18 annual payments, with the biggest amounts in the next several years.

    The deal echoes one the companies have been pushing, sometimes in public, for two years.



    continues....




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  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
     Drug Distributors and J.&J. Reach $26 Billion Deal to End Opioids Lawsuits https://nyti.ms/3rs3sFO
    July 21, 2021Updated 6:40 p.m. ET

    After nearly two years of wrangling, the country’s three major drug distributors and a pharmaceutical giant have reached a $26 billion deal with states that would release some of the biggest companies in the industry from all legal liability in the opioid epidemic, a decades-long public health crisis that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.

    The agreement, announced Wednesday afternoon by a bipartisan group of state attorneys general, lays the framework for billions of dollars to begin flowing into communities across the country for addiction treatment, prevention services and other steep expenses from the epidemic.

    The deal comes as the addiction crisis is worsening. Overdose deaths from opioids hit a record high in 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this month, a rise driven partly by the isolation and shutdown of services during the coronavirus pandemic. In all, more than 500,000 have died from overdoses to prescription and illegal street opioids since 1999, according to federal data.

    “The urgency of the problem continues,” said Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III of Tennessee at the news conference announcing the deal. “It’s just relentless.” Tennessee, whose own spike in opioid deaths was particularly sharp in 2020, could receive more than $500 million if the agreement is finalized.


    continues....




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  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
    I wonder if the agreement has provisions that that money cannot be used for purposes other than addiction related services....
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    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,852
    mickeyrat said:
    I wonder if the agreement has provisions that that money cannot be used for purposes other than addiction related services....
    You mean like they did with the Lotto, gasoline taxes and Tobacco money?  Nah.

    There are already people screaming that the state is going to "misappropriate funds".  So basically NY was given a 1.1B check to do as they see fit.
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
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  • ZodZod Posts: 9,942
    mickeyrat said:

    Seems so slimy.  They give up a fraction of their personal company, ditch the company, and they get to walk away free.   Basically, it tells me if you commit massive crimes, you can get away with it if your wealthy and powerful :(
  • JeBurkhardtJeBurkhardt Posts: 4,449
    Zod said:
    mickeyrat said:

    Seems so slimy.  They give up a fraction of their personal company, ditch the company, and they get to walk away free.   Basically, it tells me if you commit massive crimes, you can get away with it if your wealthy and powerful :(
    The song remains the same.
  • tempo_n_groovetempo_n_groove Posts: 38,852
    Zod said:
    mickeyrat said:

    Seems so slimy.  They give up a fraction of their personal company, ditch the company, and they get to walk away free.   Basically, it tells me if you commit massive crimes, you can get away with it if your wealthy and powerful :(
    Positive part of it is they are not allowed to make drugs again.
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
    Zod said:
    mickeyrat said:

    Seems so slimy.  They give up a fraction of their personal company, ditch the company, and they get to walk away free.   Basically, it tells me if you commit massive crimes, you can get away with it if your wealthy and powerful :(
    Positive part of it is they are not allowed to make drugs again.

    eventually...... euro ops can be wound down slowly.
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    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
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    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
    Judge conditionally approves Purdue Pharma opioid settlement
    By GEOFF MULVIHILL
    7 mins ago

    A federal bankruptcy judge gave conditional approval Wednesday to a sweeping, potentially $10 billion plan submitted by OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to settle a mountain of lawsuits over its role in the opioid crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.

    Under the settlement, the Sackler family will give up ownership of the company and contribute $4.5 billion. But the Sacklers will be shielded from any future lawsuits over opioids.


    continues....




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    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • mickeyrat said:
    Judge conditionally approves Purdue Pharma opioid settlement
    By GEOFF MULVIHILL
    7 mins ago

    A federal bankruptcy judge gave conditional approval Wednesday to a sweeping, potentially $10 billion plan submitted by OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to settle a mountain of lawsuits over its role in the opioid crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.

    Under the settlement, the Sackler family will give up ownership of the company and contribute $4.5 billion. But the Sacklers will be shielded from any future lawsuits over opioids.


    continues....




    The times had a piece on this too and my sister recommends the book "Dope Sick" that mentions how they were able to dupe the nation for so long.  I wonder how far off of the HBO doc the book is?
  • https://www.npr.org/2021/10/04/1041979845/a-landmark-opioid-trial-puts-spotlight-on-pharmacy-chains-cvs-walmart-and-walgre

    It's just a matter of time before they start going after the doctors whom wrote the scripts.  


  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
    https://www.npr.org/2021/10/04/1041979845/a-landmark-opioid-trial-puts-spotlight-on-pharmacy-chains-cvs-walmart-and-walgre

    It's just a matter of time before they start going after the doctors whom wrote the scripts.  



    pill mills have already largely been handled. ohio now adds independent reviews of opiod scripts and patients are tested regularly to ensure theraputic levels.
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  • mickeyrat said:
    https://www.npr.org/2021/10/04/1041979845/a-landmark-opioid-trial-puts-spotlight-on-pharmacy-chains-cvs-walmart-and-walgre

    It's just a matter of time before they start going after the doctors whom wrote the scripts.  



    pill mills have already largely been handled. ohio now adds independent reviews of opiod scripts and patients are tested regularly to ensure theraputic levels.
    Regulation is in full effect across the US.  This is basically piggybacking off the billion dollars settlement from Perdue Pharma.  They are essentially looking to add blame to the distribution and rake in billions to "offset" costs.

    I get why they are doing it but I don't agree so much with this one.  
  • hedonisthedonist standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
    This season of Goliath deals with opioids. Got someone in the FDA who ensured approval of meds known to be addictive in exchange for handsome payments. 

    I wonder how close to the truth that is.
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
    new series on hulu called Dopesick.

    Michael Keaton is one of the regulars
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    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • 100K deaths in a year.  Holy cow.

    Fentanyl seems to be the leading cause of this.  I still ask why you would want to kill off your buyers by using that stuff?

    https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-11-17/us-overdose-deaths-topped-100-000-in-one-year-officials-say
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
     



    Jury holds pharmacies responsible for role in opioid crisis
    By JOHN SEEWER
    1 hour ago

    CLEVELAND (AP) — CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said Tuesday in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis.

    Lake and Trumbull counties blamed the three chain pharmacies for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1 billion, their attorney said.

    How much the pharmacies must pay in damages will be decided in the spring by a federal judge.

    It was the first time pharmacy companies had completed a trial to defend themselves in a drug crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.

    The counties were able to convince the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities.

    “The law requires pharmacies to be diligent in dealing drugs. This case should be a wake-up call that failure will not be accepted,” said Mark Lanier, an attorney for the counties.

    “The jury sounded a bell that should be heard through all pharmacies in America,” Lanier said.

    Attorneys for the three pharmacy chains maintained they had policies to stem the flow of pills when their pharmacists had any concerns and would notify authorities about suspicious orders from doctors. They also said it was the doctors who controlled how many pills were being prescribed for legitimate medical needs.

    Spokespeople for CVSHealth and Walgreen Co. said the companies disagree with the verdict and will appeal.

    “As plaintiffs’ own experts testified, many factors have contributed to the opioid abuse issue, and solving this problem will require involvement from all stakeholders in our health care system and all members of our community," CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis said in a statement.

    Walgreen spokesperson Fraser Engerman said the company believes the court erred “in allowing the case to go before a jury on a flawed legal theory that is inconsistent with Ohio law."

    “As we have said throughout this process, we never manufactured or marketed opioids nor did we distribute them to the ‘pill mills’ and internet pharmacies that fueled this crisis,” Engerman said in a statement. “The plaintiffs’ attempt to resolve the opioid crisis with an unprecedented expansion of public nuisance law is misguided and unsustainable.”

    Two other chains — Rite Aid and Giant Eagle — already had settled lawsuits with the two Ohio counties.

    Lanier said during the trial that the pharmacies were attempting to blame everyone but themselves.

    The opioid crisis has overwhelmed courts, social services agencies and law enforcement in Ohio’s blue-collar corner east of Cleveland, leaving behind heartbroken families and babies born to addicted mothers, Lanier told jurors.

    Roughly 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County alone between 2012 and 2016 — equivalent to 400 for every resident.

    In Lake County, some 61 million pills were distributed during that period.

    The rise in physicians prescribing pain medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone came at a time when medical groups began recognizing that patients have the right to be treated for pain, Kaspar Stoffelmayr, an attorney for Walgreens, said at the opening of the trial.

    The problem, he said, was that “pharmaceutical manufacturers tricked doctors into writing way too many pills.”




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    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • benjsbenjs Toronto, ON Posts: 8,929
    mickeyrat said:
    new series on hulu called Dopesick.

    Michael Keaton is one of the regulars
    Seriously worth watching. 
    '05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2

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  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
    benjs said:
    mickeyrat said:
    new series on hulu called Dopesick.

    Michael Keaton is one of the regulars
    Seriously worth watching. 
    now that's its finished going to binge watch straight through....

    so very well done.

    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • mickeyrat said:
     



    Jury holds pharmacies responsible for role in opioid crisis
    By JOHN SEEWER
    1 hour ago

    CLEVELAND (AP) — CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said Tuesday in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis.

    Lake and Trumbull counties blamed the three chain pharmacies for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1 billion, their attorney said.

    How much the pharmacies must pay in damages will be decided in the spring by a federal judge.

    It was the first time pharmacy companies had completed a trial to defend themselves in a drug crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.

    The counties were able to convince the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities.

    “The law requires pharmacies to be diligent in dealing drugs. This case should be a wake-up call that failure will not be accepted,” said Mark Lanier, an attorney for the counties.

    “The jury sounded a bell that should be heard through all pharmacies in America,” Lanier said.

    Attorneys for the three pharmacy chains maintained they had policies to stem the flow of pills when their pharmacists had any concerns and would notify authorities about suspicious orders from doctors. They also said it was the doctors who controlled how many pills were being prescribed for legitimate medical needs.

    Spokespeople for CVSHealth and Walgreen Co. said the companies disagree with the verdict and will appeal.

    “As plaintiffs’ own experts testified, many factors have contributed to the opioid abuse issue, and solving this problem will require involvement from all stakeholders in our health care system and all members of our community," CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis said in a statement.

    Walgreen spokesperson Fraser Engerman said the company believes the court erred “in allowing the case to go before a jury on a flawed legal theory that is inconsistent with Ohio law."

    “As we have said throughout this process, we never manufactured or marketed opioids nor did we distribute them to the ‘pill mills’ and internet pharmacies that fueled this crisis,” Engerman said in a statement. “The plaintiffs’ attempt to resolve the opioid crisis with an unprecedented expansion of public nuisance law is misguided and unsustainable.”

    Two other chains — Rite Aid and Giant Eagle — already had settled lawsuits with the two Ohio counties.

    Lanier said during the trial that the pharmacies were attempting to blame everyone but themselves.

    The opioid crisis has overwhelmed courts, social services agencies and law enforcement in Ohio’s blue-collar corner east of Cleveland, leaving behind heartbroken families and babies born to addicted mothers, Lanier told jurors.

    Roughly 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County alone between 2012 and 2016 — equivalent to 400 for every resident.

    In Lake County, some 61 million pills were distributed during that period.

    The rise in physicians prescribing pain medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone came at a time when medical groups began recognizing that patients have the right to be treated for pain, Kaspar Stoffelmayr, an attorney for Walgreens, said at the opening of the trial.

    The problem, he said, was that “pharmaceutical manufacturers tricked doctors into writing way too many pills.”




    I knew they were trying for this and did not think it would get a cent from the pharmacies.

    Wow.  This means that every county/state can go after them using this as a precedent.
  • mickeyratmickeyrat up my ass, like Chadwick was up his Posts: 35,410
    mickeyrat said:
     



    Jury holds pharmacies responsible for role in opioid crisis
    By JOHN SEEWER
    1 hour ago

    CLEVELAND (AP) — CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said Tuesday in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis.

    Lake and Trumbull counties blamed the three chain pharmacies for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1 billion, their attorney said.

    How much the pharmacies must pay in damages will be decided in the spring by a federal judge.

    It was the first time pharmacy companies had completed a trial to defend themselves in a drug crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.

    The counties were able to convince the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities.

    “The law requires pharmacies to be diligent in dealing drugs. This case should be a wake-up call that failure will not be accepted,” said Mark Lanier, an attorney for the counties.

    “The jury sounded a bell that should be heard through all pharmacies in America,” Lanier said.

    Attorneys for the three pharmacy chains maintained they had policies to stem the flow of pills when their pharmacists had any concerns and would notify authorities about suspicious orders from doctors. They also said it was the doctors who controlled how many pills were being prescribed for legitimate medical needs.

    Spokespeople for CVSHealth and Walgreen Co. said the companies disagree with the verdict and will appeal.

    “As plaintiffs’ own experts testified, many factors have contributed to the opioid abuse issue, and solving this problem will require involvement from all stakeholders in our health care system and all members of our community," CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis said in a statement.

    Walgreen spokesperson Fraser Engerman said the company believes the court erred “in allowing the case to go before a jury on a flawed legal theory that is inconsistent with Ohio law."

    “As we have said throughout this process, we never manufactured or marketed opioids nor did we distribute them to the ‘pill mills’ and internet pharmacies that fueled this crisis,” Engerman said in a statement. “The plaintiffs’ attempt to resolve the opioid crisis with an unprecedented expansion of public nuisance law is misguided and unsustainable.”

    Two other chains — Rite Aid and Giant Eagle — already had settled lawsuits with the two Ohio counties.

    Lanier said during the trial that the pharmacies were attempting to blame everyone but themselves.

    The opioid crisis has overwhelmed courts, social services agencies and law enforcement in Ohio’s blue-collar corner east of Cleveland, leaving behind heartbroken families and babies born to addicted mothers, Lanier told jurors.

    Roughly 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County alone between 2012 and 2016 — equivalent to 400 for every resident.

    In Lake County, some 61 million pills were distributed during that period.

    The rise in physicians prescribing pain medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone came at a time when medical groups began recognizing that patients have the right to be treated for pain, Kaspar Stoffelmayr, an attorney for Walgreens, said at the opening of the trial.

    The problem, he said, was that “pharmaceutical manufacturers tricked doctors into writing way too many pills.”




    I knew they were trying for this and did not think it would get a cent from the pharmacies.

    Wow.  This means that every county/state can go after them using this as a precedent.

    and I understand it goes before the same judge no matter where the city/county is located....
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    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • mickeyrat said:
    mickeyrat said:
     



    Jury holds pharmacies responsible for role in opioid crisis
    By JOHN SEEWER
    1 hour ago

    CLEVELAND (AP) — CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said Tuesday in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis.

    Lake and Trumbull counties blamed the three chain pharmacies for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1 billion, their attorney said.

    How much the pharmacies must pay in damages will be decided in the spring by a federal judge.

    It was the first time pharmacy companies had completed a trial to defend themselves in a drug crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades.

    The counties were able to convince the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities.

    “The law requires pharmacies to be diligent in dealing drugs. This case should be a wake-up call that failure will not be accepted,” said Mark Lanier, an attorney for the counties.

    “The jury sounded a bell that should be heard through all pharmacies in America,” Lanier said.

    Attorneys for the three pharmacy chains maintained they had policies to stem the flow of pills when their pharmacists had any concerns and would notify authorities about suspicious orders from doctors. They also said it was the doctors who controlled how many pills were being prescribed for legitimate medical needs.

    Spokespeople for CVSHealth and Walgreen Co. said the companies disagree with the verdict and will appeal.

    “As plaintiffs’ own experts testified, many factors have contributed to the opioid abuse issue, and solving this problem will require involvement from all stakeholders in our health care system and all members of our community," CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis said in a statement.

    Walgreen spokesperson Fraser Engerman said the company believes the court erred “in allowing the case to go before a jury on a flawed legal theory that is inconsistent with Ohio law."

    “As we have said throughout this process, we never manufactured or marketed opioids nor did we distribute them to the ‘pill mills’ and internet pharmacies that fueled this crisis,” Engerman said in a statement. “The plaintiffs’ attempt to resolve the opioid crisis with an unprecedented expansion of public nuisance law is misguided and unsustainable.”

    Two other chains — Rite Aid and Giant Eagle — already had settled lawsuits with the two Ohio counties.

    Lanier said during the trial that the pharmacies were attempting to blame everyone but themselves.

    The opioid crisis has overwhelmed courts, social services agencies and law enforcement in Ohio’s blue-collar corner east of Cleveland, leaving behind heartbroken families and babies born to addicted mothers, Lanier told jurors.

    Roughly 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County alone between 2012 and 2016 — equivalent to 400 for every resident.

    In Lake County, some 61 million pills were distributed during that period.

    The rise in physicians prescribing pain medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone came at a time when medical groups began recognizing that patients have the right to be treated for pain, Kaspar Stoffelmayr, an attorney for Walgreens, said at the opening of the trial.

    The problem, he said, was that “pharmaceutical manufacturers tricked doctors into writing way too many pills.”




    I knew they were trying for this and did not think it would get a cent from the pharmacies.

    Wow.  This means that every county/state can go after them using this as a precedent.

    and I understand it goes before the same judge no matter where the city/county is located....
    Not since the attack on tobacco has this happened.  I have no idea where any of that money went considering I paid out of my own pocket to quit…
  • stuckinlinestuckinline Posts: 3,357
    mickeyrat said:
    benjs said:
    mickeyrat said:
    new series on hulu called Dopesick.

    Michael Keaton is one of the regulars
    Seriously worth watching. 
    now that's its finished going to binge watch straight through....

    so very well done.

    I'm on episode 7 of Dopesick. 
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