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Ohio Sues Five Drug Companies Over Opioid Crisis

  • June 01, 2017

In the midst of a national opioid addiction crisis, the state of Ohio has filed a lawsuit against five drug makers and distributors connected to sales and distribution of opioids. The state’s Attorney General Mike DeWine said these companies helped fuel the epidemic with mass marketing and promotions, according to Reuters.

It’s obvious that Ohio and other government entities such as the city of Everett, Washington, which is suing Purdue Pharma, are “on” to the trafficking that occurred to sell opioid painkillers to the American public — and sue, they should. The opioid overdose epidemic in the U.S. is killing people by the thousands every year, so many that coroners don’t even have space to store the corpses.

Evidence has repeatedly shown opioid makers have acted with callous disregard for human life, yet they keep getting off the hook with little more than a slap on the wrist. The Washington Post recently published an article detailing the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) failure to bring an opioid maker to justice, so it’s time for states and local communities to do this job themselves.

Meanwhile, there are alternatives to opioids that could help halt this deadly epidemic. For one, it’s time for the DEA to admit that medical cannabis can address pain relief without side effects. This is backed by increasing research suggesting medical marijuana is an effective agent for pain relief compared to prescription opioids. The science behind this is in the marijuana cannabinoid receptors that interact with your body.

These receptors play an important role in many body processes, including metabolic regulation, cravings, pain, anxiety, bone growth and immune function. And, for the record, even the American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledges that cannabinoids from marijuana “may currently be an option for … children with life-limiting or severely debilitating conditions and for whom current therapies are inadequate.”