Perspective: Opioid crisis big business with little government oversight
Sadly, the opioid crisis is costing Americans 65,000 lives a year, annually killing more than all the Americans in the Vietnam War.
This crisis has actually led to life expectancy in the United States to be lower the last two years in a row.
What is the cause?
Take, for example, the McKesson Corporation, the fifth largest corporation in the United States and the biggest drug distributor in the country. They are literally making billions from the opioid crisis. This company’s actions clearly show the pathway of how “fascist like corporate control” of government in the United States is advancing, with apparent blessings of the current administration.
Trump boasted that he was going to take on the opioid crisis but has no desire to fund the effort. Companies like McKesson are so big and powerful they easily influence politicians who are on the take. We must face it, our democracy is and has been for sale.
We are quickly becoming a nation where large super-wealthy corporations owned by billionaires dictate what laws they will comply with. Sure, they get caught sometimes, but they don’t mind a slap on the wrist when they are raking in billions.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently revealed they were going after the McKesson Corporation for its contribution to the opioid crisis. However, the DEA investigators were forced to back down due to internal pressure and pressure from the Department of Justice because they feared a challenge with the McKesson Corporation’s highly paid legal team (a company too big to fail).
Some of the accusations made against McKesson Corporation by the DEA included how it was distributing the opioids. This includes claims that the company wouldn’t report suspicious amounts of large orders for opioids as required by law.
The DEA reported the McKesson Corporation, under self-regulation, would simply increase its order thresholds to avoid reporting suspicious activity. This resulted in the company allegedly sending massive amounts of the highly-addictive drug to small-town pharmacies that had no need for that much.
The DEA was hoping to take McKesson Corporation to court and hit it with a $1 billion fine. Instead, the company happily agreed to pay a $150 million fine in a settlement. The DEA said that wasn’t much of a punishment for a company that makes almost $200 billion a year in revenue.
The CEO of McKesson has a yearly salary of $100 million, plus bonuses.
This is why we need strong ethics laws to limit on how much of our democracy is for sale by greedy politicians. Demand your congressmen and senators pass a law to show their contributors so we the people, at least, know who they are really working for.
Dan Barrett
Jasper
While I respect your opinion, passing more and more laws doesn’t do the trick. It doesn’t work in regards to guns, it doesn’t work in regards to wages, and it will not work in regards to drugs.
While I agree that drug corporations are not doing their fair share in stopping this, there are already laws in place to attempt to stop this. It’s not working. More laws won’t help anything. Our local communities need to get creative. What about some kind of medication buy back program? Pain pills and such that have become a big problem could be returned for X amount on the dollar. Not enough for people to buy them illegally and make money, but possibly enough to entice people to turn them in as opposed to using them.
It also starts at home. Parents need to be active and teach their children the risks of overusing these drugs, and monitor their use, should they have surgeries and such; wisdom tooth removal, broken bones, etc.
All the media STILL don’t understand the opioid problem. I am prescribed them by my pain mgt. Dr., and monitored every time I see him or her. If one takes their meds. accordingly as prescribed…all will be OK. It’s the idiots that misuse the meds. by taking more than one at a time. (If I would ever do that…I would get very sick immediately!) Most addicts are addicts because of their own stupidity–overdosing! Anymore…doctors who prescribe such drugs, now have to have (or show) reasons why their patient needs these meds. for COMFORT ONLY–NOT A CURE! I had scans taken of my body and especially my spine, and the Dr. told me that I am not medically supposed to be walking now! Well…I will walk until my legs and feet give out 100%!
The two drugs Alcohol & Nicotine kills 550,000/yr.. that is more deaths of USA soldiers in all the years of war of WW II, Korean, Vietnam.. We have an estimated 45 million alcoholics and 35 million Nicotine addicts.. but apparently those deaths have become acceptable by our society because their is a tax revenue stream attached to those. While legal opiate prescriptions have been dropping each year since 2012 and the DEA has cut legal opiate prescription production in 2016, 2017 and 2018 cut will reduce production by nearly 50% … but deaths from opiates is still dramatically increasing… mainly due to the fact that 50%-70% of OD’s toxicology shows illegal fentanyl analog and Heroin and typically a total of 4-6 illegal substances in their toxicology. Some areas – like Dayton Ohio – shows 99% illegal substances in OD toxicology. The reported 65K deaths from drug overdoses is nothing short of a mismatch of the real causes – illegal substances imported from Mexico and China.. In fact, buried in that number is some 40% of OD’s that has nothing to do with a opiate, but why bother with reporting that… since the larger the number the more sensational the headline in the media
“Fact Check”
Dan, the Justice Department that settled with McKesson for $150M was the Obama Justice Department. McKesson settled with the DOJ on January 17, 2017. Three days before the Trump Administration was sworn in. All of the charges against McKesson and the settlement arrangement was made by the Obama Justice Department.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/mckesson-agrees-pay-record-150-million-settlement-failure-report-suspicious-orders
Total drug overdose deaths are 64,000 per year. The opioid death rate is just over 20,000 per year. Most of those deaths are from illegally manufactured and imported fetanyl being smuggled into the country from Mexico. The Chinese made product also crosses the border from Mexico. Smugglers are also mailing the product into the United States with the majority crossing the SW Border of the United States. The crisis is certainly a major problem for the U.S. WE NEED THAT WALL.
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db294.htm
https://www.dea.gov/druginfo/fentanyl-faq.shtml
President Trump signed an Executive Order in January 2017, requiring the hiring of 5000 border and customs agents. The cost is $200M and is under way. The Trump administration also asked China for help with the manufacturing of Fentanyl (synthetic opioid) in China. In March China announced. “China’s Increased Controls Beijing announced that effective March 2017, carfentanil, furanyl fentanyl, acryl fentanyl, and valeryl fentanyl will be controlled substances in China, in an effort to stem availability of the drugs in the United States. China’s October 2015 scheduling of 116 synthetic substances resulted in a decrease of their availability in the United States, and additional scheduling is expected to yield similar results.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-border-patrol-hiring-20171217-story.html
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-sessions-applauds-china-restricting-two-fentanyl-precursors
The Health Care act that didn’t receive a single Democratic vote had a $45B set aside to fight opioid addiction. The bill offered $4.5B per year for 10 years. Because of the rules of budget reconciliation, that was all that could be appropriated.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/health-care-bill-45-billion-more-in-opioid-money/
Your right our democracy has been for sale. Both parties are to blame. Bill and Hillary left the White House broke but are currently worth $150M.
Barak Obama is raking in $400K per speech in his retirement. He has 3 scheduled for Wall Street firms for $1.2M.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2015/10/13/how-the-clintons-made-more-than-230-million-after-leaving-the-white-house/#4cba75472ae3
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/01/barack-obama-speaking-fees-economic-racial-justice
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/opinion/the-cost-of-barack-obamas-speech.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/barack-obama-speeches-fee-wall-street-latest-a7954156.html
Daryl Hensley, Jasper IN
Daryl,
Point of order: If Obama is making money for giving speeches, it is being done AFTER he left office. The current resident of the White House is using the office to make money hand over fist, with no apologies, even while he serves.
Scott Newton
Scott, I mention Obama because one of the news articles states that he is also setting up a foundation to solicit donations as well.
You are correct, Trump is making money by charging SS to stay at Mari-logo. Biden charged the SS to stay at his home compound as well. Bill Clinton as well.
Why do we pay these Presidents a $400K pension for 4 years service when they earn that in one speech? Remember America voted for the lesser of two evils…:-)
Daryl Hensley, Jasper
Daryl,
In the two years prior to 2017, four percent of Trump sales of high priced condominiums went to shell companies, which conceal the identities of the buyers. In 2017 seventy per cent of luxury condominiums sales were with shell companies. Seventy per cent. Who benefits from this? Who is hiding what? The blasé attitude toward financial conflicts and transparency is galling.
As to your last point regarding annual pensions for life — so noted. I agree.
Scott, 58% of all real estate transactions over $3M dollars are purchased through shell companies or LLC’s. What are the reasons why?
1. Privacy. high profile owners are hiding their ownerships for safety reasons. Robbers have burglarized homes of the wealthy whose lives are on the front page. Burglars rob them when the news reveal their out of town.
2. The second reason is for tax purposes. Their are tax advantages for a corporation or LLC in owning a business related housing.
3. Too launder money. 78% of housing is mortgaged and the ownership of the LLC must be revealed. In cash deals the ownership is not required by law. However the real estate company and the seller are not required to police the buyers, the title company is. Trump is doing nothing wrong unless he is knowingly selling to someone trying to launder money. As the seller, it is not in his best interest to know.
Look for all transactions over $3M to be done through an LLC in the future. Real estate transactions are public information with several making it easy to view them on line. I would do an LLC in order to prevent possible robbers or stalkers from locating my actual home.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/12/how-secretive-shell-companies-shape-the-u-s-real-estate-market/?utm_term=.0530ca863844
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-stars-hit-by-a-wave-burglaries-is-organized-crime-986009
https://panamapapers.icij.org/20160403-panama-papers-global-overview.html
Daryl Hensley, Jasper
Daryl,
Money laundering and anonymity are the first things that come to my mind. However, what I find disturbing is that for the two years immediately prior to 2017 only 4% of Trump luxury condo sales were to shell companies. Last year, after Trump assumed the presidency, that percentage spiked astronomically to seventy percent.
Again, to me this is just another example of the stick it in your eye arrogance displayed by this administration. Trump and his family exploit the office of the presidency, and do so with impunity.