Opinion: With the tobacco settlement, the U.S. missed its moment to fortify public health. We can’t make that mistake with the opioid settlement
States, counties, cities, and tribes have brought thousands of lawsuits seeking to hold players in the drug industry accountable for their roles in igniting the opioid epidemic.
These lawsuits have come as nearly 500,000 Americans have died from overdoses of prescription and illicit opioids in the past two decades. Many more have suffered nonfatal overdoses, and an estimated 20 million Americans struggle with substance use disorders.
