Earle joining opioid lawsuit

Earle joining opioid lawsuit

City concerned with public health and safety over addictive drugs

news@theeveningtimes.com

Earle has agreed to join with other cities and counties in Arkansas in a lawsuit aimed at holding major drug manufacturers accountable for the opioid painkiller crisis which has created a public health nightmare across the United States.

The City Council passed a resolution to lend its support to the Arkansas Municipal League’s legal defense program, which in December filed a lawsuit against 13 pharmaceutical companies alleging that they deliberately misled the public and medical providers about the dangers of opioid addiction.

Prescription painkiller abuse has hit Arkansas particularly hard. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Arkansas has the secondhighest opioid prescription rate in the country.

Last year about 1.7 million opioid prescriptions were issued in the state, and there were 108 opioid-related deaths.

“We have a big problem with over-prescribing,” said Mayor Sherman Smith.

Smith said the numbers are shocking.

In October, President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis to be a public health emergency. In 2013, the cost to treat opioid prescription dependence in the U.S. was $75.8 billion.

In 2015, an estimated 12 daily doses of opioids were prescribed nationally — or enough for near 100 pills per household. It is estimated that every man, woman, and child regardless of age would have 37.5 pills at any given time.

About 64,000 people across the nation died from drug fatalities — more than the 40,000 who died in auto fatalities.

“That’s unbelievable,” said Coucilwoman Jimmie Barham.

Earle will be joining more than 100 other cities who have signed on board with the Arkansas Municipal League.

The lawsuit seeks punitive damages against the companies which would be used to help overwhelmed cities and counties provide counseling and treatment for those suffering from opioid addiction.

“They are asking us to participate in the fight against this crisis and I think it’s a good idea for Earle,” Smith said.

By Mark Randall