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of the crisis, including everything from AODA treatment to a new facility for the Medical Examiner’s office, which is outdated and crumbling.”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. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Opioid Crisis
- Senator Baldwin Calls on House to Pass Bill that Cracks Down on Fentanyl Traffickers - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Feb 15th, 2024
- Attorney General Josh Kaul announces $350 million settlement with marketing firm over its role in opioid epidemic - Wisconsin Department of Justice - Feb 1st, 2024
- Grants Will Fund Recovery Housing For Those Facing Homelessness and Battling Opioids - Margaret Faust - Jan 12th, 2024
- Baldwin Helps Advance Bipartisan Bill to Address Opioid and Fentanyl Crisis - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Dec 14th, 2023
- DHS and DOJ Announce Dose of Reality Roundtable Discussions on Wisconsin’s Opioid Epidemic - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Dec 6th, 2023
- Limited Supply of Narcan Prevents Milwaukee Groups From Saving Lives - Edgar Mendez - Dec 1st, 2023
- MUPD, Wisconsin Voices for Recovery partner to install Nalox-ZONE boxes on Marquette campus - Marquette University - Oct 12th, 2023
- MKE County: Drug Settlements Could Help Expand Opioid Addiction Programs - Graham Kilmer - Sep 21st, 2023
- DHS Awards Funding to Law Enforcement Agencies Working to Address the Opioid Epidemic - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Sep 21st, 2023
- Milwaukee County Announces Locations of 11 ‘Harm Reduction Vending Machines’ to Combat Death from Overdose - County Executive David Crowley - Aug 8th, 2023
Read more about Opioid Crisis here
Mentioned in This Press Release
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