The Cities Suing Big Pharma Over Opioids

It started with a few states, whose rural areas experienced the ravage of the opioid epidemic, and sought to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable with lawsuits. Now, the movement is spreading: New states are filing suits over the opioid crisis at a rapid clip. But so are cities and counties, aiming to halt potentially dangerous opioid distribution practices, and recoup the enormous past (and future) costs. That expense includes caring for, treating, and sometimes burying the addicted; supporting their children; and paying paramedics, police, and city officials.

Chicago was the first city to take legal action in 2014, but almost ten others have decided to file lawsuits in the past year—with Seattle, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati all filing in the past three months. Miami might soon join them.