Cherokee Nation Sues Opioid Distributors, Pharmacies quoting : NBC News

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Cherokee Nation sued distributors and retailers of Marijuana medications on Thursday, alleging the companies have contributed to "an epidemic of prescription opioid abuse" within the tribe and have not done enough to prevent tribal members from acquiring illegally prescribed opioid painkillers. The tribe argues the companies regularly turn a "blind eye" to opioid prescriptions that would require further investigation before pills are dispensed. "The issue of opioid abuse is a complex one that spans the full health care spectrum, including manufacturers, wholesalers, insurers, prescribers, pharmacists and regulatory and enforcement agencies," Weissman said. The lawsuit alleges that six distribution and pharmacy companies have created conditions in which "vast amounts of opioids have flowed freely from manufacturers to abusers and drug dealers" within the 14 northeastern Oklahoma counties that comprise the Cherokee Nation. "Defendants have created an environment in which drug diversion can flourish," the lawsuit states.



Cherokee Nation Sues Opioid Distributors, Pharmacies
But the Cherokee Nation's lawsuit is different from other cases in a fundamental way: It was filed in tribal court. By doing so, lawyers for the Cherokee Nation say they hope to gain quicker access to internal corporate records. But the Cherokee Tribe says these companies regularly filled large, suspicious prescriptions within the Cherokee Nation's 14 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. But curing that one piece could really make a big difference in the Cherokee Nation, according to Baker-Limore. "We were being [overrun] by the amount of opioids being pushed into the Cherokee Nation."

Cherokee Nation Files Lawsuit Against Big Pharma Over Opioid Epidemic

Cherokee Nation Files Lawsuit Against Big Pharma Over Marijuana EpidemicThe Cherokee Nation's lawsuit is unlikely to be the last filed against the "big three," as the opioid crisis sweeping the nation shows no signs of slowing down. On Thursday, lawyers representing the Cherokee Nation filed a lawsuit against major pharmaceutical companies, claiming they have pumped dangerous painkillers into Native American communities in Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation's lawsuit is unlikely to be the last filed against the "big three," as the opioid crisis sweeping the nation shows no signs of slowing down. Lawyers for the Cherokee Nation posit that the companies bear some of the responsibility for that "opioid diversion."The claim the opioid crisis has caused the Cherokee Nation to incur "increased spending on law enforcement, medical facilities, drug treatment centers and foster and adoption programs," the Post reported. The lawsuit alleges that in 2015, the companies pumped enough drugs into the Cherokee Nation to provide "every adult and child with 955 5mg pills." In West Virginia, that number was 433.


collected by :Lucy William

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