Push to let vets get pot for PTSD
ALBANY — Veterans groups are pushing the state Senate to pass legislation allowing medical marijuana to be used in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder.
“It is time that we start taking care of the people that have PTSD,” said Bob Becker, legislative chairman of the State Council of Veterans Organizations who was at the Capitol Wednesday lobbying lawmakers.
“If you talk to the veterans that are using (medical marijuana) . . . they feel like the pain is gone,” said Becker, a retired Marine.
The Democratic-controlled Assembly has already approved a measure adding PTSD to the list of state-approved ailments that medical marijuana can be prescribed to treat. But the bill has stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate. NASSAU COUNTY is poised to join the growing number of local governments filing opioid-related lawsuits against Big Pharma.
Lead attorney Salvatore Badala will be in court next week alleging the manufacturers of prescription opioids are responsible for the area’s ongoing drug epidemic.
More specifically, the Long Island county plans to seek compensation for expenses caused by the growing drug problem: nalaxone training, rehabilitation programs, police overtime. The names of the companies weren’t released by late Thursday, because the suit hadn’t been filed.
Officials say the abuse of pain meds like oxycodone and Percocet often leads to the use of heroin and fentanyl, a powerful synthetic drug.
“When you start to break it down, you say, ‘Wow, the county is spending millions of dollars on this,’” said Badala, of the law firm of Napoli Shkolnik. “And these pharmaceutical companies are profiting hand over fist.
“We’re not talking about a small profit,” the lawyer added. “We’re talking about a billiondollar industry.”
Seven other New York counties, including neighboring Suffolk, have already sued drug manufacturing companies over the devastating opioid crisis.
Just last weekend, Suffolk County authorities reported 22 overdoses — one of them fatal — in a terrifying 48-hour span.
The Daily News launched a series last month dubbed “Opioid Nation” chronicling the growing epidemic. A record 1,300 people died last year of overdoses in the city — about 80% from opioids.
Nassau and Suffolk reported a record 493 opioid overdoses in 2016. Nassau reported fatalities linked to fentanyl nearly tripled last year — from 22 to 62.
The numbers could have been far worse, if not for the nearly 1,300 saves made by first responders treating overdose victims with the life-saving antidote naloxone, officials said.
The Suffolk figure could increase as officials determine the cause of death for 85 still-pending cases.
In addition to the two Long Island counties, officials in upstate Sullivan, Seneca, Broome, Dutchess, Erie and Orange counties are already suing the drug companies.
“The defendants have manufactured, promoted and marketed opioids by omitting critical information that has long been known about the drugs’ addictive qualities and other risks associated with their prolonged use,” said Paul Hanly, lead counsel for Dutchess and several other counties.
Nassau officials began considering the lawsuit late last year when the county attorney’s office proposed a deal. According to Badala, county legislators voted last month to file the lawsuit.
“After looking at the issue, seeing the increase in deaths, opioid-related ODs and other things, they came to the conclusion that this was something worth fighting in court,” the lawyer said.
Badala acknowledged the legal battle, like the one once waged against tobacco companies, could go on for years.
“I’d expect it, with so many defendants,” he said. “But we’re in this for the long haul, and so is the county. We’re going to fight hard until the end.”