Opioid lawsuit now includes all Arkansas counties

In every crisis lies the seed of opportunity. The opioid epidemic presents an opportunity for county officials to lead.” —Colin Jorgensen, litigation counsel for Arkansas Association of Counties

All 75 Arkansas counties have joined a class action lawsuit to reduce the abuse of opioid painkillers.

An update presented Friday morning to the County Judges Association of Arkansas showed all counties had joined the lawsuit, said Colin Jorgensen, litigation counsel for Arkansas Association of Counties.

The Arkansas Municipal League also joined the lawsuit which represents 400 cities and towns in Arkansas, he said.

“All levels of government must work together to develop a strategy to find a solution,” Jorgensen said.

Facts on the opioid epidemic include the following:

“National—175 Americans die from a drug overdose every day, the majority from opioid. In 2016 Americans consumed about 80 percent of the world’s opioids. There are about 30 overdoses for each fatal overdose. We have more than 5,000 overdoses per day in America. Any opioid five days or longer risks dependence or addiction to opioid,” he said.

“Arkansas is No. 2 per capita nationwide in opioid prescriptions— opioid prescriptions for every 100 Arkansans in 2016. The national average is 66.5.” Arkansas is No. 2 behind Alabama. Arkansas is No. 1 nationwide in misuse of prescription opioids by children ages 12-17.

“In every crisis lies the seed of opportunity. The opioid epidemic presents an opportunity for county officials to lead,” Jorgensen said.

“County leaders preserve the health, safety and vitality of local communities. Therefore they should act with urgency to help break the cycles of addiction, destruction of families and communities and overdose deaths from the opioid epidemic,” he said.

Jorgensen also outlined three themes in the battle against opioids.

“Addiction is an illness, not a moral failure. Opioid addiction often begins with a legal prescription from a doctor and ends in a fatal overdose.

“Law enforcement is critical to an effective response to the opioid epidemic, but we cannot simply arrest our way out of this crisis.

“To stem the tide of the opioid epidemic and combat the stigma that accompanies it, we must lead the conversation and build partnerships across communities and governments,” Jorgensen said.

He also prepared action items for county leaders, which includes:

LEAD THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC.

Assume leadership roles in local efforts to reverse the trends of the opioid epidemic. Set the tone of the conversations—break the silence, and chip away at the stigma of addiction.

FOCUS ON EDUCATION AND PREVENTION.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Prevention starts with increasing public awareness about the dangers of prescription pain killers and heroin. Reach children inside and outside schools. Advocate for opioid training in higher education. Embrace data and technology—specifically, collect more data about mortality causes and specific drugs in overdoses (coroners). Continue and enhance successful drug take-back programs and prescription monitoring.

EXPAND TREATMENT PROGRAMS AND OPTIONS.

Make naloxone available to first responders, jailers, law enforcement, citizens (users). Pursue grants for naloxone, medication-assisted treatment and long-term residential treatment. GIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT MORE FLEXIBILITY.

Use resources and the criminal justice system to target drug traffickers while pursuing alternatives to arrest for opioid abusers. Identify individuals who need treatment and divert them to drug courts and treatment if possible. Facilitate treatment in jails and communities.

BUILD PARTNERSHIPS AND ACT WITH UNITY.

Partner with the state drug director’s office on programs such as the Prescription Drug Take Back events, the goal of a 24-hour box at every county sheriff’s office in the state and other partnership programs.