State Hits Walgreens And Others for Mishandling Opioids

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is going after Walgreens and three other companies. Nessel is filing a lawsuit in Detroit targeting Walgreens, and three other lesser recognized, but otherwise large medical supply companies. She is accusing all four with illegally distributing opioids without controls. Nessel is using a 1994 state law known as the Drug Dealer Liability Act as the foundation for the lawsuit.

Nessel claims Walgreens and the other companies:

Distributed and sold opioids in ways that facilitated and encouraged their flow into the illegal, secondary market;

Distributed and sold opioids without maintaining effective controls against the diversion of opioids;

Chose not to effectively monitor suspicious orders;

Chose not to investigate suspicious orders;

Chose not to report suspicious orders;

Chose not to stop or suspend shipments of suspicious orders; and,

Distributed and sold opioids prescribed by “pill mills” when these companies knew or should have known the opioids were being prescribed by said “pill mills.”

“Michigan’s opioid addiction crisis and the devastation it has wrought on families, communities and our state demanded our attention when the Governor and I took office nearly a year ago,” said Nessel. She has directed her department to focus on litigation on several fronts, including taking legal action in tandem with other states.  The state also sought out a team of attorneys with national experience to pursue Michigan-specific litigation.