Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, second from left, listens to a question, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017, in Seattle, while he stands close to him. a graph detailing increases in overdoses and opioid-related hospitalizations. Washington state. Ferguson said Thursday that the state and the city of Seattle are filing lawsuits against several opioid manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, seeking to recover the costs incurred by the government when drugs – which many officials blame a national addiction crisis – are abused. (AP Photo / Ted S. Warren)
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Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, second from left, listens to a question on Thursday, September 28, 2017, in Seattle , near a chart detailing the increases in overdoses and hospital stays concerning
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Photo: Ted S. Warren / AP
A box of the opioid antidote Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is on display in a family addiction support group on March 23, 2016 in Groton, CT
A box of The opioid antidote Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is on display at a family substance abuse support group on March 23, 2016 in Groton, CT
Photo: John Moore / Getty Images
Death due to the drug due to King County in 2016
Death due to the drug due to King County in 2016
Photo: Getty Images
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, in the center, meets with reporters on Thursday, September 28, 2017 in Seattle, while Seattle City Attorney, Pete Holmes, look. Ferguson said Thursday that the state and the city of Seattle are filing lawsuits against several opioid manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, seeking to recover the costs incurred by the government when drugs – which many officials blame a national addiction crisis – are abused. (AP Photo / Ted S. Warren)
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Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson in the center talks with reporters on September 28, 2017 in Seattle, while the city attorney from Seattle, Pete Holmes, look. Ferguson said Thursday that the state and the
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Photo: Ted S. Warren / AP
President of the Swinomish Tribe Brian Cladoosby: "We celebrated a funeral while these companies were harvesting record profits and it is time for them to be held responsible for the destruction they caused." in the Swinomish community. less
Brian Cladoosby, President of the Swinomish Tribe: "We held funerals while these companies are reaping record profits and they are accountable for the destruction they caused … more
Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM
Connelly: Swinomish tribe pursues "Big Pharma" to push opioids
Swinomish Indian tribal community sues Purdue Pharmaceutical and other opioid drug manufacturers, accusing this false and misleading commercialization of drugs 39, provoked an epidemic of drug addiction among the Amerindians.
Tribal prosecution in US court closely follows lawsuits brought by the state of Washington and the cities of Seattle and Everett, particularly accusing Purdue of doctors and deceitful caregivers on the addictive and debilitating nature d & # 39; opioids.
Purdue is the leading manufacturer of the drug Oxycontin. Attorney General Bob Ferguson described his marketing campaign to sell the drug in Washington
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A Total of 18.2 Million Daily Doses of Oxycontin "We held a funeral while these companies were reaping record profits, it is time for They are held responsible for the destruction they caused in the Swinomish community, "said Brian Cladoosby, president of the Swinomish tribe.
Cladoosby is a former president of the National Indian Congress of America.
The rate of opioid dependence is twice as high among Amerindians as in the general population. Native Americans have a higher rank than any other racial group.
Purdue Pharmaceutical attempted to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the state, but was rebuffed by a judge of the King County Superior Court. Purdue lost similar motions in South Carolina and Oklahoma
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The Swinomish Tribe established its own treatment center opioid addictions. The didg wellness center serves both tribal members and the public.
"Our new integrated treatment program offers comprehensive quality services that have the greatest potential to save lives and heal the victims of this crisis. Stephens, who runs the center
Prescriptions and sales of opioids in Washington grew by more than 500% between 1997 and 2011. In 2011, at the height of sales, more than 112 million daily doses of Prescription Opioids
That's enough for a 16-day supply for every man, woman, and child in Washington.
Joel Connelly, blogger / columnist for SeattlePI.com can be contacted at [email protected]