Milwaukee County has filed a lawsuit against makers and distributors of prescription painkillers that county officials allege contribute to the opioid epidemic.
Dozens of other Wisconsin counties have filed suit against makers of prescription painkillers. But Milwaukee County Corporation Counsel Margaret Daun said her county is going to federal court separately from those other cases to also target drug distributors.
“There is shared responsibility. But we believe we must maximally go after those who sought to make the most from their wrongdoing, and that is both manufacturers and distributors,” Daun said at a Wednesday news conference.
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Daun also said Milwaukee County is filing suit on its own because many people seeking illegal supplies of painkillers come to the county from surrounding communities.
“Where they need to find fentanyl and heroin and other illegal opioids. So, often times, our first-responders are bearing some of the brunt from other outlier, collar counties,” Daun said.
Other local governments around the U.S. have also sued distributors. But a trade group has said those firms don’t drive demand for prescription drugs.
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