The sprawling nationwide opioid litigation continues to move toward a conclusion, with a settlement agreement announced in Florida in which CVS Health will pay $484 million to settle opioid-related claims by the state—the first pharmacy chain to do so. Compensation will be paid out over 18 years and includes no admission of wrongdoing by the drug retailer. CVS and other pharmacy chains face hundreds of lawsuits involving the opioid crisis, in which the company has argued that they had tried to stop pills from being illegally diverted and followed procedures to comply with federal and state regulations. In the Florida case, Wallgreens did not reach an agreement and will go to trial in April; at the same time, lawsuits against drugmakers Teva and Allergan also reached settlements for $170 million and $134 million, respectively. Many of the thousands of lawsuits have been settled, or are nearing agreement, including a $6 billion deal with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma for its role in the crisis. More than 600,000 Americans have died of a drug overdose over the past two decades, a majority of them opioid-related.
And finally, one year after New York State legalized marijuana, a new Siena College poll finds that a majority of voters oppose ensuring that those with previous marijuana convictions, or their family members, get first dibs on cannabis retail licenses—a major component of the legislation. Strong majorities of Republicans, independents, voters outside New York City, and white voters give it a strong thumbs down, while Latino and Black voters approve. Giving preference to those with marijuana convictions is an attempt to redress wrongs that occurred during the failed war on drugs, in which a disproportionate number of drug arrests were in communities of color. As New York finally rolls out its legalization framework, which includes financial support for those most impacted by drug convictions, it also appears to be trying to avoid pitfalls encountered in other states that have seen designated “social equity” applicants struggle with issues like lack of capital or competition from deep-pocketed corporations.