Understanding Nevada's Opioid Crisis

The opioid epidemic is considered the deadliest drug crisis in U.S. history. The Trump Administration recently declared a public health emergency to deal with the epidemic. In Nevada, opioid overdoses were the leading cause of drug-related deaths in 2015. According to the National Vital Statistics System, 619 Nevadans died of a drug overdose that year and 68% of those deaths were from opioids.In this series, Reno Public Radio’s health reporter Anh Gray tours a treatment facility, and talks with substance abuse experts, patients and others to get the scope of the problem and explore some solutions.

Nevada AG Expands Opioid Lawsuit

KUNR Public Radio | By Paul Boger

Published June 18, 2019 at 11:43 AM PDT

Ford, surrounded by law enforcement and municipal leaders, speaks to reporters about the expanded opioid lawsuit

Nevada's top law enforcement official is filing a new lawsuit against drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies for their role in the state's opioid epidemic. As KUNR's Paul Boger reports, the suit claims the group created an unprecedented public health crisis for their own profit.

The 241-page complaint says 40 defendants, including opioid manufacture Perdue Pharma, the makers of Oxycontin, and pharmacies, like Walgreens and Walmart, are profiting from a public health epidemic they created.

Flanked by law enforcement and leaders from the City of Reno and Washoe County at a press conference Monday, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said the suit comes down to one thing.

"These companies lied to us," Ford said. "Thousands of people have died because of their greed. You've probably heard of Perdue Pharma, the opioid manufacturer previously sued by our state for its role in the opioid crisis. It's true that Perdue opened the door to this crisis, but the rest of the defendants busted that door wide open."

The suit is perhaps the most wide-ranging in the nation. Most of the defendants are facing at least some legal claims filed by the other 49 states and thousands of other lawsuits filed by local and tribal governments, but Nevada is one of the few states to wrap them all into one wide-ranging lawsuit.

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said the suit will help make right the problems the epidemic has exacerbated in the city.

"I promised that we would hold these drug manufacturers accountable," said Schieve. "A lot of people say to me all the time, 'Mayor Schieve, I'm seeing so many more people homeless. I'm seeing so much more mental illness and drug addiction in our city.' And they keep asking why. Well, let me tell you. Here's the sad fact: it's due to the opioid crisis that's been created in this country. The state of Nevada will stand up. The city of Reno will stand up."

This is the second such suit filed by the state. The first was similar in nature but named Perdue Pharma as the sole defendant. That suit was dropped earlier this month.