Our attorneys fight for individuals and families that have suffered as a result of the opioid epidemic. We believe the multi-billion drug manufacturers who downplayed the addictive qualities of opioid pain medications should be held accountable for their reckless actions and the subsequent overdoses, deaths, addictions, and financial losses that have plagued our country. The NYC personal injury lawyers opioid rights attorney services at Mirman, Markovits & Landau, P.C. are committed to pursuing justice on behalf of those who have been affected by opioids, so they can receive the medical treatment and financial compensation they deserve.
Opioid addiction starts with the prescription of powerful pharmaceutical drugs to treat chronic pain. These prescription painkillers are derived from naturally occurring opium and can be extremely dangerous when misused. When not used as directed, opioids can lead to dependency and addiction that often requires the use of harder illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl. This deadly cycle causes unimaginable suffering for individuals, families and communities.
In an effort to curb the opioid crisis, states have taken aggressive legal action against major pharmaceutical companies. In just the last few years, New York has secured settlements totaling more than $1 billion from McKesson, Cardinal Health and Amerisource Bergen. Attorney General Josh Stein has also secured more than $34 billion nationally to address the epidemic through national and multi-state settlements with opioid makers, distributors and pharmacies.
Some of the money from the opioid settlements will help to increase access to treatment and prevention programs, provide additional resources for state and local law enforcement, as well as support prosecutors investigating cases related to the epidemic. The settlements also require the drug companies to change their marketing and sales practices, educate doctors and other prescribers, and ensure that they are not distributing prescription opioids beyond what is needed for appropriate care.
One of the most important aspects of these agreements is that they will force large pharmacy chains such as CVS and Walgreens to closely monitor the opioid prescriptions they fill and restrict how many prescriptions can be filled at once. This is intended to prevent patients from seeking multiple prescriptions for opioids which can cause the side effects of drowsiness and poor coordination which could affect their job performance.
Individuals with opioid use disorder can be subject to discrimination in a variety of settings including employment, healthcare and participation in state or local government services and programs. The Department of Justice recently published guidance describing how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with OUD who are in treatment or recovery from discrimination.
This video provides a primer on civil rights protections for individuals with MOUD in the workplace, and highlights key cases, investigations, and government settlements/consent decrees involving discrimination based on treatment with medication for OUD in various settings. It is part of a larger series of videos developed by the U.S. Department of Justice to support the nationwide campaign against the opioid crisis. In addition to this video, the department has produced a number of other resources including: