Thousands Arrested Every Year in Tennessee Prescription Opioid Crackdown

More than 6,000 Tennessee citizens are arrested every year for crimes related to prescription opioids. Heroin busts are increasing as well, as many who are hooked on the doctor-prescribed pain pills will move on to street opiates to feed their habit. Rural areas of Tennessee, as well as inner cities like areas of Memphis and Jackson, are particularly susceptible to the worsening opioid crisis.

Mindsets need to change in order to fully address this issue and to make any lasting difference, but one group that should not be let off the hook is the opioid manufacturers. These drug companies chased mega profits in the past ten years for stronger and stronger opioid medicines. They called pain the Fifth Vital Sign at conferences and in academic papers, urging medical practitioners to prescribe more and more opioids for less and less serious pain. Street drugs are a problem, but the prescription drug companies are more than partially to blame for many of these Tennessee drug deaths.

Are drug companies responsible for prescription opioid overdoses?

In 2015, there were almost 1,500 overdose deaths in Tennessee. With 7.8 million opioid prescriptions written in the state, 72% of all overdoses were related to this class of drug. This year, a group of attorneys in Tennessee has introduced the second big lawsuit against pill mills and drug producers, such as Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. Tennessee’s so called “crack tax,” or the Tennessee Drug Dealer Liability Act, could mean that drug makers are liable for the overdose deaths their pills cause. When a loved one dies of a prescription opioid overdose, Memphis and Jackson residents should be able to call a Memphis lawyer to help them with their case.

With overdose deaths on the rise throughout the United States, more and more lawsuits against drug manufacturers are cropping up in states like Ohio and Tennessee. Opioids are heavily marketed, a fact that can have a deleterious effect on populations susceptible to addiction, as well as those with legitimate pain issues that get hooked during treatments. Bailey & Greer’s own Thomas Greer is well-versed in this area and publishes about it while following drug task forces and lawsuit movements closely.

It’s time to fight against the opioid crisis

The opioid crisis will be known as one of the failures of our time. With overdoses increasing, and exceedingly dangerous drugs like heroin and fentanyl finding their way into West Tennessee communities, it can be difficult to know what to do. Opioid manufacturers have pushed their drugs for too long. The time is now for task forces, compassionate attorneys, and advocates to push back against the profiteering Big Pharma companies.

Bailey & Greer, PLLC is proud to represent those who have had a loved one die of an overdose. We are committed to taking medicine manufacturers to task for their dangerous drugs and marketing. If you are in Memphis, Jackson, or Western Tennessee, please feel free to contact us for your legal and advocacy needs at 901-680-9777. You can also fill out our contact form to schedule a meeting with our dangerous drug attorneys today.