The plaintiffs stated in the complaint that the defendants “formed an opioid marketing enterprise in violation of Arkansas law for the purpose of illegally promoting the widespread use of opioids for chronic pain.”
The lawsuit goes on t
o say that when patients are no longer able to get opioids from their doctors, they buy them from drug dealers or turn to heroin. A study using data from 2002 through 2012 supports this allegation. Those who use opioids are 19 times more likely to turn to heroin; three-fourths of heroin users first got hooked on opioids that were legally prescribed by a doctor.
Previous Class Action Filed by Arkansas Native
While federal lawsuits against opioid manufacturers are popping up nationwide, this isn’t the first lawsuit of this kind from Arkansas. Michael Ray Lewis filed a federal lawsuit, and sought class action status, against several opioid manufacturers on June 29, 2017. The lawsuit has more than 100 class members. The class action alleged that marketing opioids as non-addictive made doctors more likely to prescribe them for chronic pain.
