Prosecutors believed Purdue was implicated in mail and wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. Yet the firm got a slap on the wrist
The opioid epidemic is not over. Even as Covid-19 rages, opioid-related deaths continue to devastate communities across our states. In New Hampshire, overdose deaths rose in April and May over last year’s levels. In the first four months of 2020, Rhode Island overdose deaths jumped 29% from the same period last year and 38% from the same period in 2018. Opioid addiction remains a persistent, lethal menace.
Related: Bleak new record as 71,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year
The justice department could have made a stronger effort to stop a public health crisis in its tracks more than a decade ago. But it didn’t
Maggie Hassan is a US senator for New Hampshire
Sheldon Whitehouse is a US senator for Rhode Island
