Across the country, addiction rates to opiate painkillers and street drugs like heroin are skyrocketing. In Vermont, there were 106 opioid-related fatalities last year — a record high. Seventy-five people died of opiate overdoses in 2015.
“When you’re looking at the opiate crisis, it really is critical that it is a comprehensive approach,” Donovan said.
Donovan said Friday the opioid crisis has long been a priority of his, since he served as state’s attorney in Chittenden County. He said the approach to countering opiate addiction should include efforts to prevent addiction, to intervene and provide treatment, and to use law enforcement resources to clamp down on drug dealers.
The role pharmaceutical manufacturers have played in the crisis is “another prong” of the issue that should be under scrutiny, he said.
“If we’re talking about a comprehensive approach, we should address the question of corporate responsibility,” Donovan said.
Donovan declined to provide details of the investigation into pharmaceutical companies.
According to a release from the Vermont Attorney General’s office, Donovan is one of more than 25 state’s attorneys in the country to join the investigation. The coalition is bipartisan.
There has been a focus on the role pharmaceutical companies have played in the opiate crisis recently. The state of Ohio sued five pharmaceutical companies last month, claiming they failed to represent the risks associated with opiate painkillers they manufacture.
Donovan said he felt it was wise to partner with other states on the issue.
“Generally, I think when you have common interests it makes sense to collaborate and communicate,” he said.
In a statement, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said the city supports Donovan’s initiative, and called the opiate addiction crisis “one of the worst man-made public health epidemics in history.”
It is outrageous and tragic that state and local governments struggle to humanely treat and support the millions who have been devastated by the misuse of these prescription products while those who produce them amass great fortunes,” Weinberger said.
