Several members of the billionaire Sackler family have voiced regret about the decades-long opioid epidemic and the role of their firm, Purdue Pharma, in the addiction crisis—but refused to accept any personal responsibility. Speaking in a rare appearance before a congressional committee, two members of the Sackler family—who served as Purdue board members—claimed they didn’t know about the company’s efforts to aggressively market OxyContin and downplay the drug’s addictiveness, which contributed to the deaths of more than 450,000 Americans over the past two decades. While three generations of the Sackler family have overseen Purdue since the 1950s, the family will pay only $225 million in civil penalties as part of a $8.3 billion settlement with the Justice Department over its role in the epidemic, but they will not face any criminal liability.
Meanwhile, one month after New Jersey voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana, the state legislature has approved a regulatory framework for the cannabis market. It includes an opt-out provision for cities and towns that don’t want retail pot shops in their area, but will allow delivery services.
And finally, the Federal Trade Commission has finally begun a crackdown on deceptive marketing by CBD companies. In its first such action, the FTC has mandated that firms stop making “scientifically unsupported” claims about their products’ ability to treat medical conditions including cancer. It is also telling patients that CBD—the non-psychoactive component of marijuana—is not a miracle cure, and warns them not to stop taking prescription medicine without consulting a doctor.