WASHINGTON, D.C. — Advocates and angel families who lost children to the opioid epidemic applauded news Monday that President Donald Trump had signed the SUPPORT Act, legislation that strengthens resources for Americans facing substance use disorders.
Trump signed the legislation into law on Monday afternoon, reauthorizing and revising programs within the Department of Health and Human Services addressing substance use disorders, overdoses, and mental health.
Sandy Snodgrass, the mother of a victim named Bruce, and co-founder of Fentanyl Fathers and Angel Army, said simply: “The SUPPORT Act and Bruce’s Law will simply save the lives of young Americans.”
Another bereaved father, Greg Swan, thanked the president for listening to the story of his grieving family, noting that Trump created the original SUPPORT Act back in 2018. Monday&#8217;s action renewed the law with the addition of &#8220;Bruce&#8217;s Law,&#8221; written by Snodgrass, he said.
&#8220;Now we are empowered and backed by the Support Act to go into all 26,727 reluctant USA High Schools and preach the dangers of fentanyl as a bereaved army, the Angel Army,&#8221; said Swan, who is co-founder of Fentanyl Fathers and Angel Army. &#8220;110,000 lives will be saved by youth alone &#8211; and you can double that by the number of bereaved parents who WILL NOT have to have an empty chair for their &#8216;Tiny Tim.&#8217;”
Drew Siegel, co-founder of Victoria&#8217;s Voice, said that his organization is &#8220;forever grateful&#8221; to Trump and his administration for &#8220;answering the prayers of millions of bereaved parents, siblings, friends, and families across our country.&#8221; Drew&#8217;s sister, Victoria, is also a victim of a drug overdose.
&#8220;This is for you, Victoria,&#8221; he said simply. &#8220;We love you, and we miss you every day.”
<div id="attachment_1008249" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/angel-families-praise-trump-for-signing-law-to-combat-substance-abuse/president-trump-speaks-on-progress-made-combatting-opiod-crisis-in-east-room-of-white-house" rel="attachment wp-att-1008249"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1008249" class="wp-image-1008249 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1052957848-864x576.jpg" alt="U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an East Room event at the White House October 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted an event to mark the one-year anniversary of the administration's declaration of combating the opioid crisis. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1052957848-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1052957848-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1052957848-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/GettyImages-1052957848.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an East Room event at the White House October 24, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted an event to mark the one-year anniversary of the administration&#8217;s declaration of combating the opioid crisis. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)</div>
Robert Branner, co-founder of Fentanyl Fathers, described the legislation as &#8220;a lifeline for American families.&#8221;
&#8220;It is an Act designed to save lives, strengthen communities, and protect our children from a crisis that is touching every corner of this nation,&#8221; he argued. &#8220;I stand here as a Father who lost a daughter because she did not know the dangers of taking a pill that was not prescribed to her. She didn’t know it could be laced with fentanyl. She didn’t know one single pill could stop her heart. She didn’t know because she was never taught.&#8221;
Branner says the new law matters for all Americans, recognizing that &#8220;prevention is protection.&#8221;
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&#8220;It invests in education, awareness, treatment, and support,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It brings resources to schools, families, and communities so our children do not grow up uninformed, unprotected, and unaware. If my daughter had received the education that the SUPPORT Act encourages, if she had been taught early about the dangers of unprescribed opioids she might still be here today. And I know I am not alone. Families across this country have the same story, the same pain, the same loss.&#8221;
&#8220;The SUPPORT Act is an equalizer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It doesn’t pick and choose which families to help. It reaches across race, class, background, and zip code because addiction and fentanyl do not discriminate. Education, prevention, and support should not either. &#8230; It saves lives. It strengthens families. And it gives our children the knowledge they need to survive in a world where one pill can take everything.”

Donald Trump

Angel Families Praise Trump For Signing Law To Combat Substance Abuse

Drugs

Fentanyl

Health

Opioid Crisis

U.S.

White House

Vice President JD Vance made good on a campaign promise of his own on Friday, bringing his mother to the White House to celebrate her tenth year of sobriety after a long struggle with addiction.
Vance shared several photos on X on Monday marking the event, adding the caption, &#8220;This year marks my mom&#8217;s 10th year of sobriety, and I&#8217;m grateful that we were able to celebrate in the White House with our family. Mom, I am so proud of you.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This year marks my mom’s 10th year of sobriety, and I&#39;m grateful that we were able to celebrate in the White House with our family.   Mom, I am so proud of you. <a href="https://t.co/aGIKebEPYb">pic.twitter.com/aGIKebEPYb</a>
&mdash; Vice President JD Vance (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1909270949817438436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Vance described his mother&#8217;s struggles with opioid addiction in his widely acclaimed memoir, &#8220;Hillbilly Elegy&#8221; — and knowing that her 10th year sober was approaching, he had promised to celebrate the milestone at the White House from the stage at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
&#8220;I&#8217;m proud to say that tonight my mom is here, ten years clean and sober,&#8221; Vance said at the time. &#8220;It&#8217;ll be ten years officially in 2025, and if President Trump&#8217;s OK with it, let&#8217;s have the celebration in the White House.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> at the RNC convention: 
“I&#39;m proud to say that tonight my mom is here, 10 years clean and sober…. It&#39;ll be 10 years officially in 2025, and if President Trump&#39;s OK with it, let&#39;s have the celebration in the White House.”
On Friday, JD Vance’s mom received her 10-year… <a href="https://t.co/AwKlssfb83">pic.twitter.com/AwKlssfb83</a>
&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1909280005030633501?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Beverly Vance received her official 10-year medallion celebrating the milestone at the White House on Friday.
The Washington Examiner&#8217;s Salena Zito shared several photos from the event as well, quoting Vance as saying, &#8220;Well, here we are. And you made it and we made it. And most importantly, you&#8217;re celebrating a very, very big milestone. And I&#8217;m just very proud of you.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;And you know mom, I was thinking, it will be 10 years officially in January of 2025 and if President Trump &#39;s okay with it, lets have the celebration in the White House” <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> July 2024 Milwaukee
“Well here we are. And you made it and we made it. And most importantly, you&#39;re… <a href="https://t.co/6U4mdiw8mK">pic.twitter.com/6U4mdiw8mK</a>
&mdash; ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZitoSalena/status/1909006248768417925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;This is amazing. You’ve all been thru so much. Rock on Beverly,&#8221; Megyn Kelly posted in response.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is amazing. You’ve all been thru so much. Rock on Beverly. <a href="https://t.co/epLPar9eYc">https://t.co/epLPar9eYc</a>
&mdash; Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/megynkelly/status/1909273819421786323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Congratulations to Ms. Beverly on this inspiring milestone,&#8221; House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Congratulations to Ms. Beverly on this inspiring milestone. <a href="https://t.co/oKFmWEle5B">https://t.co/oKFmWEle5B</a>
&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1909279517849391485?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The JD’s mom sidebar narrative is so touching and amazing,&#8221; Emma-Jo Morris posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The JD’s mom sidebar narrative is so touching and amazing. <a href="https://t.co/4NV3rz8i5c">https://t.co/4NV3rz8i5c</a>
&mdash; Emma-Jo Morris (@EmmaJoNYC) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmmaJoNYC/status/1909291152370483381?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Sobriety is a beautiful thing,&#8221; Brianna Lyman posted. &#8220;So many families are devastated by loved ones who struggle with sobriety, seeing Vance&#8217;s mom mark such a huge milestone is heartwarming.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sobriety is a beautiful thing. 
So many families are devastated by loved ones who struggle with sobriety, seeing Vance&#39;s mom mark such a huge milestone is heartwarming. <a href="https://t.co/pssgJt1BsQ">https://t.co/pssgJt1BsQ</a>
&mdash; Brianna Lyman (@briannalyman2) <a href="https://twitter.com/briannalyman2/status/1909279324630388789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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2024 Republican National Convention: Day 3

JD Vance Makes Good On Promise To Celebrate Mom’s Sobriety In The White House

JD Vance Makes Good On Promise To Celebrate Mom's Sobriety In The White House

General

Hillbilly Elegy

JD Vance

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/incredibly-painful-lisa-marie-presleys-daughter-talks-finishing-moms-memoir">Lisa Marie Presley&#8217;s</a> memoir has revealed how serious the star’s opioid addiction was during the height of her addiction, with a quote about how it was “too painful to be sober.”
In the new memoir “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Here-Great-Lisa-Marie-Presley/dp/0593733878" target="_blank" rel="noopener">From Here to the Great Unknown</a>” &#8212; written by Lisa Marie and completed by her daughter actress Riley Keough &#8212; the late star opened up about becoming addicted to the painkillers after giving birth to her twins in 2008, Finley and Harper, with ex-husband Michael, <a href="https://people.com/lisa-marie-presley-would-take-80-pills-during-her-opioid-addiction-8724749">People magazine</a> reported. Presley died in January 2023 at the age of 54 from complications from prior bariatric surgery.
&#8220;It escalated to 80 pills a day,&#8221; Lisa Marie wrote. &#8220;It took more and more to get high, and I honestly don&#8217;t know when your body decides it can&#8217;t deal with it anymore. But it does decide at some point.&#8221;
The late star said her opioid use was &#8220;recreational” for a few years, until &#8220;it wasn&#8217;t.&#8221;
&#8220;It was an absolute matter of addiction, withdrawal in the big leagues. I just wanted to check out. It was too painful to be sober.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Lisa Marie Presley was taking 80 opioid pills a DAY as she felt it was &#8216;too painful to be sober&#8217; new memoir reveals <a href="https://t.co/QYbEjCwoN9">https://t.co/QYbEjCwoN9</a> <a href="https://t.co/zerw1k8NqW">pic.twitter.com/zerw1k8NqW</a>
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) <a href="https://twitter.com/MailOnline/status/1843776718961549455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2024</a></blockquote>
Keough wrote that her mom first became addicted to the narcotics while dealing with the pain of her C-section from having the twins. Her addiction progressed from using the opioids to help her “sleep,&#8221; but she began to feel “shame” about becoming an addict with two young kids.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
The 35-year-old actress wrote that, even when her mom was court-ordered to go to a rehab center, she “didn&#8217;t feel” her mom “was ready to be sober.” She also wrote that after her mom’s rehab stint, Lisa Marie did stop using opioids, but was still getting high on the &#8220;post-rehab cocktail.&#8221;
Keough previously opened up about how “incredibly painful” it was making her late mother’s final wish a reality, by completing Presley’s memoir.
“Because my mother was Elvis Presley’s daughter, she was constantly talked about, argued over and dissected,” Keough explained.
“What she wanted to do in her memoir, and what I hope I’ve done in finishing it for her, is to go beneath the magazine headline idea of her and reveal the core of who she was,” she added. “To turn her into a three-dimensional human being: the best mother, a wild child, a fierce friend, an underrated artist, frank, funny, traumatized, joyous, grieving, everything that she was throughout her remarkable life.”
“I want to give voice to my mother in a way that eluded her while she was alive,” Riley continued. “I hope that in an extraordinary circumstance, people relate to a very human experience of love, heartbreak, loss, addiction and family. [My mom] wanted to write a book in the hopes that someone could read her story and relate to her, to know that they’re not alone in the world. Her hope with this book was just human connection. So that’s mine.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/incredibly-painful-lisa-marie-presleys-daughter-talks-finishing-moms-memoir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Incredibly Painful’: Lisa Marie Presley’s Daughter Talks Finishing Mom’s Memoir</a>

Priscilla Presley And Lisa Marie Presley Debut “Graceland Presents ELVIS: The Exhibition – The Show – The Experience” At Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino

‘It Was Too Painful To Be Sober’: Lisa Marie Presley’s Memoir Reveals Serious Opioid Addiction

'It Was Too Painful To Be Sober': Lisa Marie Presley's Memoir Reveals Serious Opioid Addiction

Celebrities

Death

Elvis Presley

Entertainment

Lisa Marie Presley

McKinsey &amp; Company is under federal criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for their alleged past work advising some of the largest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/opioid-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opioid manufacturers</a> on how to maximize sales.
The Wall Street Journal broke the story Wednesday evening on the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/mckinsey-faces-criminal-probe-over-opioid-related-consulting-a3f816d4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigation</a> in which prosecutors are also seeking to determine if the company or its employees obstructed justice throughout the course of the multi-year investigation.
Investigators are specifically looking at consulting advice the firm gave to Purdue, Endo International, and Mallinckrodt that government and private plaintiffs have alleged exacerbated the opioid addiction epidemic, the report said. The three companies have filed for bankruptcy in response to lawsuits alleging they marketed the drug in a deceptive way that caused addiction.
The investigation is being run through two U.S. attorney’s offices, the Western District of Virginia and the District of Massachusetts, the report said. A federal grand jury has been impaneled in Virginia.
The company has already paid approximately $1 billion in settlements with all 50 U.S. states, five U.S. territories, Washington, D.C., Native American tribes, public school districts, insurance companies and municipal governments, the report said. They have never admitted any wrongdoing.
McKinsey consultants allegedly told Purdue that it could &#8220;turbocharge&#8221; its sales of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin by making more sales calls to healthcare providers that it knew wrote significantly larger volumes of prescriptions of the drug and spend less time speaking with providers who seldom prescribed it.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/business/mckinsey-criminal-investigation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that senior McKinsey consultants were growing nervous in 2018 that they would be liable for their work helping opioid manufacturers boost their sales.
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The report said that during the summer of 2018, Martin Elling, a leader in the firm’s pharmaceutical practice, allegedly emailed senior McKinsey partner Arnab Ghatak and asked whether they should destroy documents and records related to their opioid work.
&#8220;Thanks for the heads up,&#8221; Ghatak responded. &#8220;Will do.&#8221;
The Times said both men were fired after the newspaper reported on the existence of the emails in 2020.

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McKinsey Under Criminal Investigation Over Alleged Role In Opioid Epidemic: Report

Business

Crime

Oregon has made possessing small amounts of hard drugs a crime again after a failed experiment with decriminalization.
Governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oregon-drug-recriminalization-law-signed-governor-96e36ed60e999572bbf47c160b412a73" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a bill into law on Monday that makes personal use possession a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail.
The new bill rolls back Measure 110, which was approved by about 58% of Oregon voters in 2020, and scrapped criminal charges for possessing small amounts of any drug, even hard drugs like fentanyl. The measure was the first of its kind in the country.
Instead of criminal penalties, offenders were hit with a maximum fine of $100 that was rarely enforced. Drug users could also get their fine dismissed if they called a hotline to get an addiction screening, but in the law’s first year, only 1% of people who received tickets for drug possession called the hotline, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-health/ap-oregons-first-in-the-nation-drug-decriminalization-law-faces-growing-pushback-amid-fentanyl-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to state auditors.
In the years since Measure 110 took effect, however, the law has become increasingly unpopular as residents deal with public drug use in their daily lives.
Two years later, more than 6 in 10 voters said they thought decriminalization has made drug addiction, homelessness, and crime worse in Oregon, according to a May <a href="https://www.dhmresearch.com/oregon-voters-support-bringing-back-criminal-penalties-for-drug-possession/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> from DMH Research. A combined 63% said they “strongly” supported or would be “somewhat” interested in once again criminalizing hard drugs.
Meanwhile, fatal drug overdoses in Oregon have spiked, driven by the fentanyl crisis.
The state is on track for 1,250 overdose deaths last year, <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2024/01/28/data-show-overdoses-deaths-rising-in-oregon/#:~:text=In%202019%2C%20280%20people%20died,year%2C%20reaching%20628%20in%20June." target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to data that is still being compiled. This is a stark rise from the 280 people who died of an overdose back in 2019.
Some of the worst scenes of the drug crisis come out of Portland, where addicts shoot up daily in broad daylight downtown.
In September, the Portland City Council passed a ban on using hard drugs on public property.
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However, Portland&#8217;s new rules have been in limbo while drugs were still decriminalized at the state level.
Mayor Ted Wheeler, another Democrat, has expressed support for Oregon&#8217;s new law, which takes effect on September 1.
&#8220;People are exhausted from feeling like they’re under siege. They want order restored to their environment,&#8221; Wheeler <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/01/us/oregon-drug-law-portland-mayor.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Although the new state law brings back criminal penalties for drug possession, it also encourages law enforcement to establish programs to send drug users to addiction and mental health services rather than the criminal justice system if possible.

US-HEALTH-DRUGS-OREGON

Oregon Recriminalizes Drug Possession

Oregon

Portland

Prescriptions for the psychedelic drug ketamine are soaring as doctors become more reluctant to prescribe highly addictive opioids for pain management.
More doctors are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketamine-pain-drugs-psychedelic-fda-2c67eeac1932962a7b0affc07d24c09a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prescribing</a> ketamine for pain as well as anxiety and depression, causing demand for the drug to spike more than 500% since 2017, according to Epic Research, which looked at data from more than 125 million patients. Pain was the number one reason ketamine was prescribed for each year since 2017, although ketamine prescriptions for depression have been on the rise as well.
The rise in prescriptions has even caused shortages of manufactured ketamine, leading to higher sales of compounded versions. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/fda-warns-patients-and-health-care-providers-about-potential-risks-associated-compounded-ketamine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> against compounded versions of ketamine last month, saying the agency cannot guarantee their safety.
Ketamine is an attractive alternative to opioids in part because it is cheap and can be prescribed by some nurses as well as doctors. It can also be prescribed over telehealth and sent through the mail. The drug sells for less than $100 a vial, and physicians can charge $500 to $1500 per IV infusion.
However, there is limited research on the drug&#8217;s effectiveness for pain management, and experts worry that doctors may overprescribe it in the same way opioids were overprescribed, ultimately leading to the opioid crisis.
“There’s a paucity of options for pain and so there’s a tendency to just grab the next thing that can make a difference,” Dr. Padma Gulur, a Duke University pain specialist who is studying ketamine, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketamine-pain-drugs-psychedelic-fda-2c67eeac1932962a7b0affc07d24c09a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Associated Press.
“A medical journal will publish a few papers saying, ‘Oh, look, this is doing good things,’ and then there’s rampant off-label use, without necessarily the science behind it,” Gulur said.
Patients on ketamine have reported hallucinations, troubling thoughts, and visual disturbances, according to research by Gulur and her colleagues that looked at 300 patients. One patient said the visual disturbances he experienced were “horrifying” but said he was willing to take ketamine &#8220;if it allows me to be more functional.&#8221;
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So far, there appears to be more evidence for ketamine&#8217;s use for treating depression than for pain. However, the neurological effects of long-term use need much more research as well — ketamine was <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/fda-alerts-health-care-professionals-potential-risks-associated-compounded-ketamine-nasal-spray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked</a> to brain abnormalities in rat studies.
Ketamine was originally approved over half a century ago as a potent surgery anesthetic, and the FDA still has not approved any non-surgical uses of the drug.
Nevertheless, ketamine clinics offer IV ketamine infusions for things like alcohol addiction, chronic pain, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients can also get ketamine nasal sprays or tablets to take between their IV appointments. Those alternative forms of the drug have little evidence, pain specialists say.
Meanwhile, the clinics compete for business with telehealth services like MindBloom that offer ketamine prescriptions through the mail.

CANADA-HEALTH-PSYCHEDELIC-THERAPY

Psychedelic Ketamine Prescriptions Soar As Treatment For Pain, Depression, Anxiety

Prescription Drugs

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/health-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rite Aid</a> reportedly plans to close hundreds of stores as it mulls how to get ahead of billions of dollars in debt and a slew of opioid-related lawsuits.
The pharmacy retail giant is looking at shuttering about 400 to 500 of its more than 2,100 stores in a bankruptcy process, The Wall Street Journal <a class="color-link" title="https://www.wsj.com/articles/rite-aid-planning-to-shut-down-hundreds-of-stores-in-bankruptcy-de7967db" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/rite-aid-planning-to-shut-down-hundreds-of-stores-in-bankruptcy-de7967db" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.wsj.com/articles/rite-aid-planning-to-shut-down-hundreds-of-stores-in-bankruptcy-de7967db" aria-label="Wall Street Journal">reported</a>. Bondholders <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2023/09/27/drugstore-downsizing-cvs-walgreens-and-rite-aid-to-close-nearly-1500-stores/?sh=4ee32de6e560" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> want to close even more stores.
Rite Aid has <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/09/22/rite-aid-proposes-closing-about-a-quarter-of-its-stores-in-bankruptcy-report-says/?sh=4ea53cfe5796" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> either selling the stores or handing them over to creditors, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the company&#8217;s bankruptcy negotiations.
The company is dealing with more than $3.3 billion in debt and more than a thousand federal lawsuits accusing Rite Aid of knowingly filling illegal opioid prescriptions.
One of those lawsuits <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-files-complaint-alleging-rite-aid-dispensed-controlled-substances-violation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is from</a> the Justice Department, which alleges Rite Aid filled hundreds of thousands of illegal prescriptions, including those with &#8220;obvious red flags,&#8221; and intentionally deleted internal notes about suspicious prescribers.
“These practices opened the floodgates for millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of Rite Aid’s stores,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-files-complaint-alleging-rite-aid-dispensed-controlled-substances-violation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in March when the suit was filed.
Rite Aid has denied the allegations.
“Given the conversations remain ongoing, no decisions have been made at this time and we are focused on reaching an agreement with our financial stakeholders that will make Rite Aid stronger,” a Rite Aid spokesperson said, Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/09/22/rite-aid-proposes-closing-about-a-quarter-of-its-stores-in-bankruptcy-report-says/?sh=4ea53cfe5796" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Rite Aid has been plagued by stores failing to generate profits in recent years and has struggled to compete with bigger chains like CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart&#8217;s pharmacies.
Last year, Rite Aid <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2022/04/14/rite-aid-expects-more-closures-of-unprofitable-stores/?sh=389cded16585" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> it would close 145 “unprofitable stores” as part of a plan to “significantly reduce costs.”
CVS and Walgreens, which operate around 9,000 stores each, do not have the same slate of problems as Rite Aid, but both pharmacy chains are also working on closing locations.
CVS <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/18/investing/cvs-store-closures/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in 2021 that it would close 900 stores by 2024. The closures <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/18/cvs-store-closures-to-shut-about-300-stores-a-year-over-next-three-years.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were set</a> to start in the spring of last year at a rate of about 300 per year.
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Walgreens <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/30/investing/walgreens-150-store-closings/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in June that it plans to close 150 locations across the country and even more abroad to cut costs.
Rising retail theft is another factor for pharmacies. Theft cost the retail sector $112.1 billion last year, 19% higher than in 2021, <a href="https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/retail-crime-accounted-over-112-billion-industry-losses-2022-according" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to a National Retail Federation report.
Shoplifting has become rampant in some cities <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/retail/2023/09/27/retail-theft-lost-inventory-statistics-2022/70975031007/#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">like</a> Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, and pharmacies have been a common target since the riots of 2020.
Some drug stores <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2023/09/27/drugstore-downsizing-cvs-walgreens-and-rite-aid-to-close-nearly-1500-stores/?sh=4ee32de6e560" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resorted</a> to putting products in transparent locked cases. However, this tactic often results in a sales drop of 15% to 25%, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2022/04/02/stores-locking-things-up-rising-theft/?sh=67d4042511ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the head of a company that sold security devices to Walgreens.
The security devices are an inconvenience since they require customers to flag down an employee and rely on them to unlock the product. They also indicate to customers that the store might not be safe.
Other factors are disrupting the chain pharmacy business model as well, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/pamdanziger/2023/09/27/drugstore-downsizing-cvs-walgreens-and-rite-aid-to-close-nearly-1500-stores/?sh=4ee32de6e560" target="_blank" rel="noopener">including</a> a rise in independent pharmacies, pharmacies in grocery stores, and online prescription filling.

In this photo illustration the stock trading graph of Rite

Rite Aid To Shutter Hundreds Of Stores In Bankruptcy: Report

Big Pharma

Economy

Health Care

A cheap, flesh-rotting horse tranquilizer that is flooding into the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal drug market</a> in the U.S. has the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) alarmed.
Xylazine, called &#8220;tranq&#8221; on the street, is mass-manufactured in China and has recently proliferated on the streets of San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New York.
The &#8220;zombie drug&#8221; causes skin lesions that look like flesh is being eaten off, sometimes down to the bone, and can slow a person’s heart and breathing until they stop, leaving users catatonic or dead.
Drug dealers frequently mix Xylazine with fentanyl to prolong the high, creating a potentially deadly cocktail, but &#8220;tranq&#8221; is often mixed with other drugs like meth and cocaine as well.
The DEA said Xylazine is making an already deadly drug crisis even more dangerous.
“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” <a href="https://www.dea.gov/alert/dea-reports-widespread-threat-fentanyl-mixed-xylazine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> DEA Administrator Anne Milgram in a public safety alert.
Milgram said the DEA has seized xylazine and fentanyl mixtures in 48 states.
In 2022, the DEA found xylazine in about 23% of the fentanyl powder and 7% of the fentanyl pills seized by the agency.
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Users face a higher risk of fatally overdosing when fentanyl is mixed with &#8220;tranq,&#8221; the DEA said.
&#8220;People who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine also can develop severe wounds, including necrosis—the rotting of human tissue—that may lead to amputation,&#8221; the DEA said.
In the three and a half years from January 2019 to June 2022, the number of fentanyl deaths each month that involved xylazine spiked from about 2.9% to 10.9% in 20 states and the District of Columbia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7226a4.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in June.
Narcan, the emergency opioid reverse medicine, does not work on &#8220;tranq&#8221; since xylazine is not an opioid. The DEA still recommends administering Narcan in an overdose situation in case they have ingested other drugs.
Routine toxicology screens do not detect xylazine either, <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-alerts-health-care-professionals-risks-patients-exposed-xylazine-illicit-drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Food and Drug Administration&#8217;s (FDA) November alert to healthcare professionals about xylazine.
&#8220;Xylazine is not safe for use in humans and may result in serious and life-threatening side effects that appear to be similar to those commonly associated with opioid use, making it difficult to distinguish opioid overdoses from xylazine exposure,&#8221; the FDA said.
&#8220;Tranq&#8221; is also not currently a federally controlled substance, making it more easily available for purchase than illicit drugs like heroin, although some states have implemented restrictions.
Earlier this year, lawmakers <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/29/health/xylazine-tranq-controlled-substance/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> bipartisan legislation in Congress that would have classified xylazine as a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act, but so far no such legislation has passed.
Ohio decided to take action on its own to crack down on &#8220;tranq.&#8221;
In March, Republican Governor Mike DeWine <a href="https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/OHIOGOVERNOR/2023/03/29/file_attachments/2451030/Signed%20EO%202023-08D.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an executive order classifying xylazine as a Schedule III controlled substance.
Major cities on both the East and West coasts are scrambling to address the presence of &#8220;tranq&#8221; on their streets.
&#8220;Tranq&#8221; recently hit the streets of New York with “astonishing” speed, <a href="https://www.fox5ny.com/news/xylazine-hitting-new-york-city-with-astonishing-speed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to law enforcement.
This week, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria held a press conference where city leaders addressed the dangers of xylazine on the street.
“If it is anything like fentanyl, just a few years ago we only had a handful of fentanyl overdose cases and now we have hundreds. We hope that we don’t have something similar with tranq,” Gloria <a href="https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/san-diego-leaders-address-looming-threat-of-new-street-drug-tranq/3266730/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.

Homelessness and the opioid crisis in Philadelphia

Flesh-Rotting Zombie Drug ‘Tranq’ Has DEA Alarmed

Flesh-Rotting Zombie Drug 'Tranq' Has DEA Alarmed

New York

Philadelphia

San Francisco

A top official at the Drug Enforcement Administration has stepped down after reports indicated that he previously engaged in consulting work for the pharmaceutical industry. 
Louis Milione, who was appointed in August 2021 to be principal deputy administrator, the agency’s second-ranking position, resigned after the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/opioids-oxycontin-fentanyl-purdue-pharma-dea-72726613cd30be246905fe1f171c2ed8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Milione had consulted for several large pharmaceutical companies, including Purdue Pharma, a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/01/health/purdue-sacklers-opioids-settlement.html#:~:text=Purdue%20Pharma%2C%20the%20maker%20of,address%20the%20deadly%20opioid%20epidemic." target="_blank" rel="noopener">defunct</a> company which was accused of helping to facilitate the opioid crisis. 
“Working for Purdue Pharma should not help you get a higher job in government,” Jeff Hauser, the executive director of the Revolving Door Project, told the AP. “Too much collegiality is a problem. It’s hard to view your past and potentially future colleagues as scofflaws. Any independent person would find this abhorrent.”
Milione first worked in the DEA from 1997 to 2017 before he left government work for the private sector. He was paid $600 an hour by Purdue Pharma to consult after they were sued by Ohio and Oklahoma over their marketing for the addictive painkiller OxyContin.
Other work in the pharmaceutical industry included giving testimony for drug wholesaler Morris &amp; Dickson, a company that faced scrutiny after a judge said it should lose its license to ship painkillers. The DEA did not move on that recommendation until four years later. 
In May, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/05/26/1178372700/dea-morris-dickson-drug-distributor-license-opioid-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the company failed to acknowledge &#8220;full extent of their wrongdoing &#8230; and the potential harm it caused.&#8221;
According to <a href="https://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF14/20211202/114265/HHRG-117-IF14-Bio-MilioneL-20211202.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his bio</a> from the DEA, Milione “is a recognized expert on a broad range of issues, including transnational illicit networks, the diversion of pharmaceutical controlled substances, narco-terrorism, America’s opioid epidemic and the threat of synthetic drugs.”
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The resignation was reportedly due to personal reasons and not recent reports. “I care deeply about the DEA, its mission and the brave men and women that sacrifice so much to protect the American public,” Milione said in a statement. 
He was first brought in through a loophole that meant that he would not have to be confirmed by the Senate. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said the news only raised more questions about the administration of the DEA. 
“DEA has demonstrated a willingness to take painstaking measures to avoid the Senate’s watchful eye – including by potentially using a technicality to shirk Senate confirmation of a key agency decision maker,” Grassley said. “Avoiding congressional oversight is a tired game the DEA can’t stop playing. It begs the question: What else is the DEA trying to hide?”

US-POLITICS-DEA

DEA Official Resigns After Reports On Former Big Pharma Consulting

This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-posts-recording-of-trump-allegedly-showing-secret-information-to-guests-trump-accuses-special-counsel-of-leak" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump Tape Leaked</a>
On Monday evening, CNN posted what it says is a recording that federal prosecutors included in their indictment of former President Donald Trump earlier this month. In the recording, Trump apparently shows “secret information” to a writer and a publisher. CNN obtained the alleged audio in which Trump is heard telling the pair — during an interview he knew was being recorded — that he was showing them “secret information.”
Critics, including Trump himself, say that the leak is a clear sign that the investigation into Trump is politically motivated.  We’ll have a full report on tomorrow’s morning wire. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/criminal-investigation-into-prigozhin-and-soldiers-who-mounted-rebellion-dropped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Criminal Investigation Into Prigozhin And Soldiers Who Mounted Rebellion Dropped</a>
Russian investigators have formally closed a criminal investigation into mercenary soldier <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-are-yevgeny-prigozhin-and-wagner">Yevgeny Prigozhin</a> and his Wagner Group forces after their mutiny against President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin</a>. 
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) <a href="http://www.fsb.ru/fsb/press/message/single.htm%21id%3D10439759%40fsbMessage.html">announced</a> on Tuesday that since Prigozhin and his men had “ceased activities directed at committing the crime,” the criminal investigation into them would not be moving forward.  The Kremlin had previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/russia-drops-criminal-case-against-prigozhin-soldiers-who-participated-in-mutiny-will-not-be-punished">indicated</a> that the charges would be dropped, but the criminal case was not formally closed until Tuesday.  The news comes after Putin initially <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/putin-condemns-wagner-mutiny-as-stab-in-the-back-vows-punishment-for-rebellion">promised</a> punitive actions against those who challenged his authority by questioning the war in Ukraine and occupying a key Russian military headquarters.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/scotus-rules-against-gop-state-legislature-in-key-election-law-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court Independent State Legislature Ruling </a>
The Supreme Court ruled  6-3 today, that state courts can act as a check on state legislatures regarding federal election issues, including electoral maps. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court that “state courts retain the authority to apply state constitutional restraints when legislatures act under the power conferred upon them by the Elections Clause. But federal courts must not abandon their own duty to exercise judicial review.” 
We’ll have a full breakdown of how that could affect the 2024 election tomorrow morning.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-officer-said-f-doj-watchdogs-report-reveals-new-details-on-death-of-jeffrey-epstein" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOJ&#8217;s Report On Epstein&#8217;s Death</a>
The U.S. The Department of Justice released a 120-page report after completing its investigation into the death of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 
The DOJ investigation concluded that Epstein killed himself with help from “significant misconduct” on the part of the prison guards. Inspector General Michael Horowitz faulted 13 Bureau of Prisons employees with negligence and job failures, including failing to monitor Epstein, lying about it, allowing Epstein to have extra clothing in his cell, and failing to make sure he had a cellmate as recommended.
<a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/30287/share-of-drug-overdose-deaths-involving-synthetic-opioids-in-total-drug-overdose-deaths-in-the-us/?utm_source=Statista+Newsletters&amp;utm_campaign=f9cb27a1d2-All_InfographTicker_daily_COM_PM_KW26_2023_Mo_COPY&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_662f7ed75e-f9cb27a1d2-349183577" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fentanyl Driving Opioid Deaths</a>
In 2021, more than 106,000 Americans died from a drug-related overdose, and new data shows that two-thirds of those deaths were directly related to synthetic opioids — with fentanyl being the biggest culprit. For Americans under age 24, roughly 80 percent of overdose deaths were due to fentanyl and similar drugs.
To listen to the audio version of this podcast, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/morning-wire/id1576594336" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

Tuesday stock photo

Tuesday Afternoon Update: Trump Tape Leaked, DOJ’s Report On Epstein’s Death, Fentanyl Driving Opioid Overdoses

Tuesday Afternoon Update: Trump Tape Leaked, DOJ's Report On Epstein's Death, Fentanyl Driving Opioid Overdoses

Jeffrey Epstein

Morning Wire

Podcast

Supreme Court

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York City</a> debuted a new vending machine Monday that provides free crack pipes, condoms, and Narcan for drug overdoses, among other items.
The big blue machine is the first of four vending machines that will be installed in some of New York&#8217;s most drug-infested neighborhoods, city health department officials <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/06/05/nyc-vending-machine-offers-free-narcan-drug-test-strips/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
The vending machines will offer “Safer Smoking” kits that include a crack pipe, mouthpiece, and lip balm for smoking crack and crystal meth, according to the New York Post. The machines also offer &#8220;Safer Sniffing kits&#8221; as well as the emergency overdose drug Naloxone (brand name Narcan) and drug-test strips that detect fentanyl.
People can also pick up other non-drug related items from the machine like condoms, tampons, nicotine gum and first-aid kits.
Drug addicts can access the free items by punching in their New York City zip code.
The machines cost the city $11,000.
City officials held a a press conference Monday next to one of the machines.
“We have a rising tide of fentanyl, and now we have other substances entering our drug supply, which is really putting us behind the eight ball,” Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said at the press conference.
Vasan cited Xylazine, known as “Tranq” or the &#8220;zombie drug,&#8221; a horse tranquilizer that causes skin lesions that look like flesh is being eaten off and can slow a person&#8217;s heart until it stops.
Drug dealers are reportedly mixing Xylazine with other drugs like meth, cocaine, and fentanyl to prolong the high. Xylazine previously proliferated on the streets of San Francisco and Philadelphia, but it has recently hit the streets of New York with &#8220;astonishing&#8221; speed, <a href="https://www.fox5ny.com/news/xylazine-hitting-new-york-city-with-astonishing-speed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to law enforcement.
&#8220;We are in the midst of an overdose crisis in our city, which is taking a fellow New Yorker from us every three hours and is a major cause of falling life expectancy in NYC,&#8221; Vasan added in a statement.
Vasan said public health vending machines are &#8220;an innovative way to meet people where they are and to put life-saving tools like Naloxone in their hands.&#8221;
“This is an important arrow in our quiver,’’ Vasan said. “It’s not the be-all and end-all solution, but it’s an important tool that says to New Yorkers, ‘Hey, we are going to bring the tools that saves lives to you.’”
The first vending machine does not include syringes for drugs like heroin, but other machines may include them, Vasan said.
City officials said similar vending machines in Philadelphia and Nevada as well as Denmark in Europe and Australia have proven effective at lowering the overdose rate and spread of diseases.
Fatal overdose data for 2022 is still being compiled, but officials estimate 2022 may have been the deadliest year on record for drug overdose deaths.
There were 1,370 fatal overdoses in the city in just the first half of 2022.
In all of 2021, there were 2,668 overdose deaths in New York City, a record number.
In 2020, 2,103 people fatally overdosed in the city.
About 84% of those deaths involved an opioid, and 80% of them involved fentanyl, according to the NYC Department of Health. Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin.

Opioid Overdose Medicine Naxolone  Available Via Vending Machine In Brooklyn

NYC Vending Machines Provide Free Crack Pipes, Condoms, Narcan To Drug Users

Eric Adams

New York City

Senator <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sherrod-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sherrod Brown</a> (D-OH) took hundreds of thousands of dollars from three drug companies at the center of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/opioid-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opioid epidemic</a> in the U.S.
According to FEC financial reports cited by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/05/ohio-democratic-senator-took-243k-from-opioid-giants-fec/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>, Brown raked in more than $200,000 from political action committees associated with Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen since 2003. The three pharmaceutical giants paid out a $26 billion settlement to settle thousands of individual lawsuits from states and local governments. Ohio is also one of the states hardest hit by the opioid epidemic.
According to <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00264697&amp;committee_id=C00331694&amp;committee_id=C00690073&amp;contributor_name=C00108035&amp;contributor_name=C00332833&amp;contributor_name=C00400929" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FEC filings</a>, Brown took in a total of $144,500 in contributions to his campaign and leadership PAC, America Works PAC. He raised $85,000 from Cardinal Health, $56,500 from AmerisourceBergen, and $1,500 from McKesson. The latest donation was a $2,500 donation from Cardinal Health on September 21. The New York Post further reported that he took in $54,100 from lobbyists who worked for the three pharmaceutical distributors, including $5,600, the legal maximum, from a McKesson lobbyist in 2020 and again in 2021.
Separately, individual employees <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/?data_type=processed&amp;committee_id=C00264697&amp;committee_id=C00331694&amp;committee_id=C00690073&amp;contributor_employer=cardinal+health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">donated</a> another $40,025. Cardinal Health Chief Information Officer Mark MacNaughton was a frequent small-dollar donor. Former Cardinal Health CEO George S. Barrett donated a total of $15,400 between 2011 and 2019, all in large amounts. Theodore Frank of McKesson donated $1,000 to his 2018 campaign. Rita Ersfeld Norton of AmerisourceBergen gave him $1,000 in 2017.
Together, Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen account for 90% of the U.S. supply chains for drugs and medical supplies. But the companies have allegedly been complicit in the proliferation of opioids; the New York Post reported that for more than a decade, the three pharma giants failed to track suspicious orders or increases in opioid use among purchasers, in spite of doctors potentially criminally overprescribing the drugs.
The three companies, along with Johnson &amp; Johnson, settled a $26 billion lawsuit with 49 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and thousands of municipalities in February 2022. In a <a href="https://www.mckesson.com/About-McKesson/Newsroom/Press-Releases/2022/Distributors-Approve-Opioid-Settlement-Agreement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joint statement</a> in February, the three companies announced that, beginning on April 2, 2022, they would pay out more than $19.5 billion over the next 18 years: Amerisource is set to pay out $6.1 billion; Cardinal Health, $6 billion; and McKesson, $7.4 billion. The settlement dealt with 46 of the 49 states; Alabama, Oklahoma, and Washington State refused the settlement. West Virginia settled previously. The Cherokee Nation also settled separately, and the remaining Native Americans had reached an agreement in principle at the time.
The New York Post also reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration settled a $150 million payout for violating federal controlled substance laws in 2017, the largest penalty in the DEA&#8217;s history.
Ohio had an estimated 5,068 deaths from drug overdoses in 2021, the fifth-highest in the nation, according to the CDC&#8217;s <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Vital Statistics System</a>. The CDC reported 107,622 deaths from drug overdoses in 2021, the highest number on record, as The Daily Wire reported last year. The New York Times <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/record-number-of-americans-died-from-drug-overdoses-in-2021-cdc-data-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time that synthetic opioids accounted for 71,000 deaths.
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In 2017, Brown himself <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSherrodBrown/status/922482085272674304" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> the opioid crisis “one of biggest public health emergencies in my lifetime [and] all too often addiction starts in [the] medicine cabinet.”
Brown is running for a fourth term in the Senate in 2024. But he faces an uphill battle in a state that is rapidly turning red: former President Trump won the state by eight points in 2020; Republican Senator J.D. Vance won the state by six points in 2022. So far, State Senator Matt Dolan and businessman Bernie Moreno have entered the Republican primary.

Democratic Lawmakers Demand Senate Vote On House-Passed Bipartisan Background Checks Gun Control Act

Ohio Democrat Senator Took Thousands Of Dollars In Donations From Pharma Companies At Center Of Opioid Crisis

Ohio Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown Took Thousands Of Dollars In Donations From Pharma Companies At Center Of Opioid Crisis

Money In Politics

Ohio

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Sherrod Brown

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