Supervisor Peggy West: Time to Hold Drug Makers Accountable
"I know the needless pain and suffering caused by this epidemic, because I have experienced it first hand as a family member of someone who overdosed."
MILWAUKEE – County Supervisor Peggy A. West expressed her support today for action taken by the county’s top lawyer, Corporation Counsel Margaret Daun, to sue drug manufacturers and distributors for their role in the opioid epidemic that has severely impacted Milwaukee. Daun announced the county’s lawsuit at a noon press conference.
Supervisor West released the following statement:
“I fully support Corporation Counsel Daun and the lawsuit she has brought on behalf of Milwaukee County, to hold accountable the pharmaceutical drug manufacturers and wholesale drug distributors that made the opioid epidemic possible, and I applaud her efforts.
“I know the needless pain and suffering caused by this epidemic, because I have experienced it first hand as a family member of someone who overdosed. Like many I’ve turned my frustration into activism by working with community groups such as MKE Heroin Diaries to raise awareness about opioid addiction and push for more resources to address the problem.
“We know which companies bear some responsibility for the opioid epidemic: they are the drug manufacturers and distributors that knowingly pushed their unsafe product onto consumers who were in legitimate pain, and onto doctors who wanted to ease their patient’s suffering.
“As chair of the County Board’s Finance and Audit Committee, I have also seen the staggering financial cost that the opioid epidemic has had on Milwaukee County. Just this year we added more than one million dollars to our Medical Examiner’s budget but it is not enough and we can barely keep up.
“In 2017, Milwaukee County nearly surpassed the limit on how many autopsies we could perform before losing our full accreditation. Losing our accreditation could create enormous risk for the county, and that is unacceptable to me as a county supervisor.
“If Milwaukee County does recover any of our costs from opioid manufacturers, distributors, or others, that money should be spent directly on county services that have been strained as a result of the crisis, including everything from AODA treatment to a new facility for the Medical Examiner’s office, which is outdated and crumbling.”
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors approved Corporation Counsel Daun’s request to seek outside counsel and prepare for a lawsuit against “any pharmaceutical company, wholesale distributor, manufacturer, and/or other entity that engages in practices that contribute to the ongoing opioid epidemic within Milwaukee County” in November.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Opioid Crisis
- Serenity Inns Opens New Addiction Treatment Center in Milwaukee - Serenity Inns - Aug 14th, 2024
- MKE County: County Nearly Doubles Narcan Vending Machines - Graham Kilmer - Aug 12th, 2024
- Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Announces Placement of Eight Additional Harm Reduction Vending Machines - County Executive David Crowley - Aug 12th, 2024
- Milwaukee’s Native Community Faces Surge in Opioid Deaths - Trisha Young - Jul 8th, 2024
- MKE County: County Awards $2.8 Million To Non-Profit Opioid Programs - Graham Kilmer - Jul 2nd, 2024
- MKE County: County To Get $3 Million From Kroger In Opioid Settlement - Graham Kilmer - Jul 1st, 2024
- Court Decision Holds Up Wisconsin’s $70 Million Drug Settlement - Sarah Lehr - Jul 1st, 2024
- MKE County: Opioid Settlement Will Fund 7 New, Expanded Abatement Efforts - Graham Kilmer - Jun 28th, 2024
- Legislators Agree on Opioid Plan, Still Withhold PFAS, Hospital Funds - Erik Gunn - May 8th, 2024
- Baldwin Announces Over $17.7 Million to Tackle Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis in Wisconsin - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - May 7th, 2024
Read more about Opioid Crisis here
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