There’s a huge problem in our country with opioid addiction from prescription opiate medicines – essentially morphine.
As these former high-ranking DEA officials discuss in this article, pharmaceutical companies that make and market oxycodone are making multiple millions of dollars from selling opiates (heroin is also an opiate). These medications are highly addictive, and thousands of individuals have become addicted. Many people have died from prescription drug overdoses, and the number is increasing annually.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), more than 28,000 people died in 2014 from opioid overdoses (both prescription drugs and heroin). In 2003, the FDA formally warned Purdue Pharma, which manufactures oxycodone, that was illegally and improperly promoting the drug.
In November, Arizona voters will decide whether to legalize marijuana. Regardless of how you feel about the issue, guess who the primary opponent of this measure is? Pharmaceutical companies. They’ve spent massive amounts opposing this legislation because if marijuana is legalized, they will sell fewer opiates.
The drug companies earn vast sums of money from opiates. They should be held responsible because they’re a big part of the problem. The doctors that used poor judgment in prescribing these medications should also be held accountable.
What can you do? If you work for a company that manufactures oxycodone or other opiates, and if you know that the company is breaking the rules in doing so, contact the Leader Law Firm. If you know of someone adversely affected by a prescription opiate overdose, contact the Leader Law Firm. We may be able to help you.
Finally, anyone taking these medications needs to understand the serious risk of addiction. If you think someone you care about has a prescription opiate problem, discuss it with them, and make sure they know the dangers of dependence.
Resource: Washington Post Article, 12/18/15
