Consulting firm McKinsey was deeply involved with advising opioid maker Purdue Pharma on how to boost sales of its highly addictive painkiller OxyContin—and has now issued a rare apology for its role in helping the drugmaker fuel the deadly opioid epidemic. According to recently released documents, McKinsey urged Purdue to pay distributors rebates for drug overdoses linked to their pills, and discussed destroying documents related to the opioid crisis. McKinsey has never accepted responsibility for helping Purdue sell more opioids, even as evidence mounted of abuse and overdose deaths.
Meanwhile, a new poll shows that a majority of Americans support marijuana legalization—in line with the findings of the 2020 Rosenthal Cannabis Study. The poll was taken after the House approved a bill to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level—the first to be approved by any chamber of Congress—which is not, however, likely to pass the Republican-led Senate.
And finally, President-elect Biden’s pick for Health and Human Services Secretary—California attorney general Xavier Becerra—has a strong track record of supporting cannabis reform in his state, and protecting California’s legal program from federal interference. What this eventually means for legalization is not yet clear, but the HSS chief will play a key role in deciding the fate of cannabis reform on the federal level.