Cherokee Nation Files Lawsuit Against Big Pharma Over Opioid Epidemic
OxyContin pills are arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt.
OxyContin pills are arranged for a photo at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt.
An addict prepares shoot up heroin after receiving a kit including a spoon, a rubber tube, cotton, sterilized water and clean syringes distributed by a program sponsored by the Open Society Foundation and government agencies in Dosquebradas, Colombia. (AP/Fernando Vergara)
Prescription drugs line a cabinet in this March 25, 2011 photo. (Photo by Eric Hunsaker/Flikr)
(ANALYSIS) — Travis Bornstein never told his friends about his son Tyler’s drug problem. He was too embarrassed.
Then, on September 28, 2014, Tyler’s body was found in a vacant lot in Akron, Ohio. The 23-year-old had become addicted to opioid pain killers after several sports-related injuries and surgeries. Unable to afford long-term treatment, he ultimately turned to a cheaper drug — the heroin that killed him.
On Thursday, the Senate approved a bill aimed at tackling the nation’s growing painkiller- and heroin-abuse epidemic, but it may prove to be a useless effort.
Source: NAADAC