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Counterpoint: Corporations at fault for overdose crisis

I am among those shocked by the recent revelation that Powell River is second only to Vancouver in the heartbreaking story of opioid drug overdoses.

I am among those shocked by the recent revelation that Powell River is second only to Vancouver in the heartbreaking story of opioid drug overdoses. According to the provincial Overdose Emergency Response Centre, Powell River was identified as having the "most urgent need” of any BC community.

Six people died in 2016, a stunning number for a small community such as ours. Many, many more are suffering the debilitating effects of addiction: family breakup, lost jobs, homelessness and mental anguish.

In the midst of such a crisis where everyone is running as fast as they can, it is easy for people forget where it originated.

This catastrophic health problem differs from other drug crises that are generally attributed to organized crime.

On second thought, maybe it’s not so different. It’s just that the crimes in this case originate with legally operating multinational drug companies.

While successfully prosecuting international drug cartels is notoriously difficult, giant pharmaceutical companies such as Purdue (the maker of Oxycontin, launched in 1995) are so-called corporate citizens supposedly subject to democratic laws and regulations.

It was Purdue's cynical and calculated lies about its products that led to millions of people becoming addicted to pharmaceuticals after being told by their doctors (also misled by Purdue) that the drugs were perfectly safe.

Then the price of the drug went up and those addicted turned to cheaper street drugs, mostly heroin. More recently, heroin pushers have been adding fentanyl to the drug, leading to the current carnage.

Purdue and other companies with similar drugs are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in North America over 25 years. Their actions in pursuing profits are sickening.

It is a long story, but a few highlights will do. In the US, Purdue was fined $635 million in 2007 for deliberately misleading the public and doctors about Oxycontin.

Three executives were sentenced to three years probation and 400 hours of community service. It had no impact on Purdue’s behaviour.

As recently as 2014, Purdue marketed the drug to nurses and physician assistants. It worked, with sales increasing 18 per cent. It was recently revealed in the US Senate that between 2012 and 2017 the top five opioid makers provided $9 million in funding for patient-advocacy groups to promote their opioid drugs.

Governments struggle to deal with the death and destruction caused by these companies, but there is nothing being done to stop this revolting process from repeating itself.

While drug companies pay seemingly huge settlements in the United States, these giant corporations simply treat such fines as the cost of doing business.

In Canada, our governments have completely betrayed us by not pursuing the companies at all. Last summer, federal and provincial governments agreed to a settlement of $20 million from Purdue, a pathetic sum given the medical costs of dealing with the crisis.

Provincial drug plans paid out $424 million in the five years between 2011 and 2015 just for medication to deal with addiction. The other medical costs, social costs and losses to the economy would see this number multiplied many times over.

In the United States, politicians are not so meek. States and cities are lining up to sue these companies, demanding they pay billions for the damage they have caused.

But there is another way: pass legislation that would impose a $2 fine for every $1 of profit made through deliberate deception.

Murray Dobbin is a Powell River freelance writer and social commentator.