OKLAHOMA CITY — The Cherokee Nation sued distributors and retailers
of opioid 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 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.
The tribe argues the companies regularly turn a
"blind eye" to opioid prescriptions that would require further
investigation before pills are dispensed. The lawsuit also alleges the
companies have pursued profits instead of trying to reduce
opioid-related addition that has taken the lives of hundreds of Cherokee
citizens and cost the tribe hundreds of millions of dollars in health
care costs.
"Defendants have created an environment in which drug diversion can flourish," the lawsuit states.
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