Alarming epidemic

Since 1999, over 700,000 people in the United States have died from drug overdoses.  In response to this seemingly uncontrollable epidemic, the state of Oklahoma is stepping up as one of the first states to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable. Earlier this week, a judge ruled that Johnson & Johnson must pay $572 million for their role in the overdose death count.  In 2017 alone, 68% of the 70,000 US overdoses were at the hands of an opioid.  This landmark case cites Oklahoma’s public nuisance law and the argument that Johnson & Johnson put people in harm by engaging in “false and misleading marketing of both their drugs and opioids.” The state of Oklahoma blames Johnson & Johnson for the influx of opioids in the state. Continue reading →