The third phase of the sprawling, nationwide opioid litigation opens a new front this week as the trial begins in Cleveland of giant pharmacy chains accused of fueling the opioid epidemic. With lawsuits against drug makers and drug distributors either settled or at trial, this litigation takes aim at pharmacies that allowed hundreds of millions of prescription painkillers to be doled out to patients, fuelling the opioid epidemic. The case, involving two counties in Ohio, says that 10 pharmacies dispensed nearly 49 million prescription pain pills in a span of eight years—enough to provide a dozen doses to each man, woman, and child who lived there every 12 months. The mostly rural, blue-collar countries claim that CVS, Walgreens, Giant Eager, and Walmart failed to stop mass quantities of opioid drugs from reaching the black market and therefore contributed to hundreds of overdose deaths—and one of the worst public health crises in the nation’s history. Pharmacies say they were merely filling prescriptions for legal medications, but despite warnings from the Drug Enforcement Agency, they continued to dispense pills and also implemented performance metrics and quotas for their retail stores.
Meanwhile, celebrities are piling into the emerging legal marijuana market, hoping that adding their name and glamour will boost sales of the drug. The latest entry is popstar Justin Bieber, who is launching a product called Peaches—named after one of his songs—that contains a $32 pack of pre-rolled joints. When asked about why he’s getting into the business, Bieber said he wanted to help destigmatize pot, especially for those who find it helpful for their mental health. Scientists say this is a popular belief about pot that has yet to be proven in research studies, and that marijuana use may in fact worsen outcomes for people with mental health conditions.
And finally, speaking of celebrities, actor Clint Eastwood has won a $6 million lawsuit against a company that used his image and likeness to make it appear that he was endorsing their products. The companies and online retailers concocted a fake interview with the actor and used a photo from an actual appearance in he seemed to endorse their products, which contain CBD, the non-psychoactive component of marijuana. Eastwood has no connection whatsoever with CBD, a product with few proven health benefits that is experiencing booming sales based on false marketing messages.