Feeling Marginalized In Massive Opioid Lawsuit, Native Americans Request Own Day In Court
Native American tribes are among those the opioid epidemic has hit the hardest, though scant attention has been paid to how the crisis is ripping through their communities. At least 20 tribes have formally sued opioid manufacturers and distributors, with at least 10 more suits expected to be filed soon. In other news on the crisis: discarded syringes; staffing shortages' effects on regulating opioids coming into the country; the impact of the epidemic on rural communities; and more.
Bloomberg:
Native Americans Demanding Chance To Try Opioid Suits Separately
Native American tribes devastated by the U.S. opioid epidemic asked a judge set up a separate track for their lawsuits targeting makers and distributors of the painkillers for creating a public-health crisis. Santee Sioux Nation of Nebraska, the Winnebago Tribe and others feel “marginalized’’ by having their cases lumped in with states’ opioid claims, David Domina, a lawyer for the tribes, told U.S. District Judge Daniel Polster Thursday. Polster, who has been pressing for a quick resolution of the suits, said he’d consider the request. (Feeley, 5/10)
The Hill:
The 'Forgotten People' Of The Opioid Epidemic
Members of the Seneca Nation of Indians and others from the surrounding western New York community gathered together in mourning.They rang a bell and lit lanterns, symbols of loved ones affected by the opioid epidemic. The bell tolled dozens of times, honoring the dead.Lanterns flew up into the evening sky. (Roubein, 5/10)
The Washington Post:
Judge Overseeing Opioid Suits Seeks Steps To Address Crisis
The federal judge overseeing more than 600 lawsuits filed by government entities collectively seeking billions of dollars to address the nation’s opioid crisis said Thursday he will continue to push for solutions to the problem while lawyers continue their settlement talks. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster held an open-court session in Cleveland on Thursday before meeting separately with attorneys for the government entities and those representing drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacy companies blamed in lawsuits for helping create a crisis that killed 42,000 Americans in 2016. (Gillispie, 5/10)
The Associated Press:
San Francisco's Many Free Syringes Are Littering Its Streets
San Francisco hands out millions of syringes a year to drug users but has little control over how they are discarded and that's contributing to thousands of complaints. The city distributes an estimated 400,000 syringes each month through various programs aimed at reducing HIV and other health risks for drug users. About 246,000 syringes are discarded through the city's 13 syringe access and disposal sites. But thousands of the others end up on streets, in parks and other public areas, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday. (5/10)
The Hill:
McCaskill Report Warns Staffing Shortages Could Undermine Efforts To Seize Opioid At Border
A new report from Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) claims that staffing shortages at the country's ports of entry could be undermining federal efforts to seize a powerful synthetic opioid. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is currently about 4,000 port officers short of what the agency needs, according to a report from minority staff on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee released Thursday. (Roubein, 5/10)
Modern Healthcare:
Some Opioid-Hit Areas Left Off Rural Response Grants Priority List
A federal agency recommended steering the $100 million Congress appropriated for rural counties to battle the opioid epidemic to those dealing with high rates of hepatitis C infection and HIV/AIDS instead. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) will award 75 available grants as part of the "Rural Communities Opioids Response Program," selecting counties considered "being at risk" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s recommendations. The CDC prioritized counties based on confirmed acute hepatitis C infection rates rather than opioid overdose rates, according to emails obtained by Modern Healthcare. (Luthi, 5/10)
Minnesota Public Radio:
Senate Passes Bill To Combat Opioid Addiction
The Minnesota Senate passed a bill Thursday that imposes $20 million in annual fees on pharmaceutical companies to fund prevention and treatment programs and county social services to address the opioid addiction epidemic. The vote came after emotional pleas from lawmakers of both parties, who castigated the pharmaceutical industry for not engaging on the issue and failing to fund solutions to opioid abuse. (Collins, 5/10)
The Washington Post:
She Used To Be Addicted To Crack Cocaine. Now, Her Walk 4 Recovery Will Help Opioid Abusers.
Rhonda Johnson knows addiction can turn you into a different person. How it can change your body, life, even your name. For years, she inhabited an alter ego named Mary. It helped keep her worlds separate. Rhonda was the mother, the sister, the wife. Mary was the addict, the hustler, the woman who would sell a used pen off the street to get the cash she needed for her next high. Drugs transformed the District, too. (Lang, 5/10)
