Florida’s Opioids Trial Against Walgreens Begins

AP: Trial Opens In Florida Opioid Lawsuit Case Against Walgreens 
In Florida, the state’s case hinges on accusations that as Walgreens dispensed more than 4.3 billion total opioid pills in Florida from May 2006 to June 2021, more than half contained one or more easily recognized red flags for abuse, fraud and addiction that the company should have noticed and acted upon. “The evidence will show Walgreens knowingly profited from the opioid crisis,” said attorney Jim Webster for the state in an opening statement, which was attended by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. “Walgreens wasn’t just greedy. It was fueling the opioid crisis that was killing people.” (Anderson, 4/11)

Reuters: Walgreens Flooded Florida With Addictive Opioids, Lawyer Tells Jury 
Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. supplied billions of opioid pills to drug addicts and criminals, contributing to an addiction epidemic in Florida, a lawyer for the state said on Monday in a civil trial against the pharmacy chain. Walgreens filled one in four opioid prescriptions in Florida between 1999 and 2020, and failed to investigate red flags that could have prevented drugs from being diverted for illegal use, the state's lawyer Jim Webster said as jurors heard opening statements in the trial held in New Port Richey. (Knauth, 4/11)

AP: EXPLAINER: Where Do US Opioid Trials, Settlements Stand? 
The effort to hold drug companies, pharmacies and distributors accountable for their role in the opioid crisis has led to a whirlwind of legal activity around the U.S. that can be difficult keep tabs on. Three trials are underway now, in Florida, West Virginia and Washington state. New legal settlements are being reached practically every week to provide governments money to fight the crisis and in some cases funds for medicines to reverse overdoses or to help with treatment. (Mulvihill, 4/12)

In updates from Ohio —

CNN: William Husel: Defense Asks For Mistrial In Case Of Ohio Doctor Accused Of Multiple Murders Related To Alleged Overprescribing Of Pain Medication 
The defense attorney for an Ohio doctor accused of overprescribing pain medication to multiple patients near death asked for a mistrial in the case Monday, saying certain remarks from prosecutors during closing arguments implied the defense has to meet a burden of proof. Defense attorney Jose Baez argued prosecutors have the burden to prove guilt and the defense doesn't have to prove anything. The defendant, William Husel, faces 14 counts of murder related to the allegations he prescribed the opioid fentanyl in doses "designed to hasten the death of the patients that were being treated," prosecutors said when Husel was indicted in June 2019. He was initially indicted on 25 counts of murder, but in January -- about a month before the trial began -- 11 of the 25 counts against him were dismissed. Husel has pleaded not guilty. (Casarez, 4/12)

NBC News: Fate Of Ex-Ohio Doctor On Trial In Alleged Fentanyl Deaths To Go To Jury
A former Ohio hospital physician on trial in the deaths of critically ill patients was portrayed Monday in closing arguments as a "terrible doctor" with no medically justifiable reason for his actions and as a "caring man" easing the pain of those dying. The jury, which was expected to begin deliberations Tuesday, is tasked with determining whether William Husel, 46, committed murder by purposefully hastening 14 patients' deaths when, prosecutors say, he ordered excessive doses of fentanyl, a powerful opioid used to blunt pain, while he was employed at Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus. (Ortiz, 4/11)

In news about marijuana and psilocybin —

The New York Times: Legal Marijuana Sales Expected To Start Within Weeks In New Jersey 
A year and a half after New Jersey residents voted to legalize cannabis, the state on Monday gave seven medical-marijuana companies approval to start selling their products to all adults, opening the door to the first legal marijuana sales in the New York City region within a month. In a meeting held by videoconference, the five-member Cannabis Regulatory Commission ushered in a seismic cultural change, making New Jersey the second state on the East Coast to fully authorize sales of cannabis to all adults. (Tully, 4/11)

AP: Legalizing Medical Marijuana Gets First Public Hearing 
A Republican-authored bill to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin will be getting its first public hearing next week, achieving one goal of backers and the latest sign of progress for those who want to loosen the state’s laws. The bill won’t become law this year because Legislature has adjourned and won’t be back until 2023. But the April 20 Senate committee hearing on the medical marijuana bill will give supporters their highest profile chance to make the case for loosening Wisconsin’s marijuana laws. (Bauer, 4/11)

The New York Times: Psilocybin Helps Alleviate Depression Symptoms, Small Study Says 
Psychedelic compounds like LSD, Ecstasy and psilocybin mushrooms have shown significant promise in treating a range of mental health disorders, with participants in clinical studies often describing tremendous progress taming the demons of post-traumatic stress disorder, or finding unexpected calm and clarity as they face a terminal illness. But exactly how psychedelics might therapeutically rewire the mind remains an enigma. (Jacobs, 4/11)

Bloomberg: Psilocybin: Effect Of Magic Mushroom Psychedelics May Help To Treat Depression
Magic mushrooms connect regions of the brain that are more segregated in people with depression, paving the way to treat the condition differently than with conventional medications. Psilocybin, a hallucinogenic compound present in fungi, helped “open up” and improve communication within the brain for up to three weeks, researchers from Imperial College London found. The result was a liberating effect not seen with the traditional antidepressant Lexapro, according to the study published in the journal Nature Medicine. (Hernanz Lizarraga, 4/11)