A bankruptcy judge approved an $8.3 billion settlement between opioid maker Purdue Pharma and the Justice Department, but the company that manufactures OxyContin will only pay a fraction of that amount for its role in the nationwide opioid epidemic. Members of the Sackler family, founders of Purdue, will pay $225,000 to resolve civil charges—despite making billions in profits from opioid sales. Two dozen states opposed settling the lawsuit, which is among thousands of cases still pending against Purdue and other drug manufacturers, as well as drug distributors and pharmacy chains, accused of contributing to the opioid crisis.
Meanwhile, an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal says that despite recent victories for marijuana legalization and decriminalizing illicit substances in Oregon, the scourge of drugs for young children remains. In 2019 parental substance use was listed as the cause for a child’s removal to foster care 38 percent of the time. The article argues that decriminalization will likely exacerbate such problems, as more drug use means more drug use.
And finally, the American Medical Association has recommended that marijuana possession be treated as a pubic health problem, rather than a reason for incarceration. In a report, the AMA also urged states to better regulate sales, marketing, and promotion of cannabis products in order to reduce use among adolescents and pregnant women.