Law

As the U.S. opioid epidemic continues, and with a criminalization order against fentanyl-related substances set to expire, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) took to the Senate floor this week urging legislation to permanently schedule the drugs.

Most Ohioans do not know that a deadly poison is being added to heroin, cocaine, crystal methamphetamine and, yes, even marijuana. It is called fentanyl, or one of its analogues. And it is killing people.

Pharmacies facing an Oct. 13 trial are challenging U.S. District Judge Dan Polster's order to provide opioid prescription data for thousands of stores nationwide. They also insist that at least two of his orders have not complied with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

WARREN — If you or someone you know was or is in an Ohio jail or prison with an opioid use disorder and is or was impacted by the the unavailability of medication assisted treatment, the ACLU of Ohio wants to hear about it.

Four major national drugstore chains are suing doctors in Ohio for fueling the opioid crisis by overprescribing highly addictive pain killers — as the pharmacies themselves face blame for it, according to a report Wednesday.

On Monday, Rep. Bob Latta, R-OH, joined a Congressional subcommittee with the intention of fighting opioid abuse in northwest Ohio.

On Monday, six major drugstore chains—including CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens—filed a lawsuit in the ongoing opioid litigation arguing that physicians and other health care practitioners who write opioid prescriptions should be held liable for contributing to the opioid epidemic, not the pharmacists.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Doctors and other healthcare practitioners who write prescriptions bear ultimate responsibility for improper distribution of opioids to patients, not pharmacists who are obliged to fill those prescriptions, a series of pharmacy chains argued in federal court.