This week, the Baldwin County Commission took the first step in potential legal action against manufacturers and distributors of opioid prescription drugs for their part in what has become a health crisis across our county, state and nation.
In 2015, 282 people died from opioid doses across the state, a number which has sadly continued to grow according to state officials.
The drug overdose death rate in Alabama has risen exponentially to 15.7 percent per 100,000 population.
By going after the makers and distributors of these potentially deadly drugs in court, we can hopefully help stem the tide of prescription pills that are making their way from our medicine cabinets to the streets and to the hands of those who might abuse them.
But the drug makers aren’t the only ones to blame.
According to facts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, doctors and dentists in Alabama prescribe 142.9 opioid pain relievers per 100 people, compared to the national rate of 82.5 per 100 people.
In the past few years, there have been several high profile prosecutions of local medical practitioners who have doled out excesses of medication to patients, putting profit over patient health.
It’s not enough to go after the drug makers and distributors. We have to depend on our doctors and dentists to step up and make certain they aren’t prescribing more than what patients actually need.
We’re glad to hear the county commission say that any funds received from these legal actions will likely go toward enforcement to make sure more lives aren’t needlessly lost to opioids and helping with treatment for those who have fallen victim to addiction.
We applaud the move toward legal action and we hope the county is successful in helping to turn the tide in the war on opioid addiction.
