Native Americans across the nation have been hit hard by the opioid crisis. Like other governmental bodies, tribes are taking action to hold pharmaceutical companies and companies that distributed opioids<\/a> responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On September 13, 2019, the Seminole Tribe of Florida filed a federal lawsuit<\/a> against Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Walgreens, CVS and other opioid manufacturers. The Seminole community alleges<\/a> that they have been \u201cravaged by the opioid epidemic\u201d as the tribe has extended massive resources to try to treat members and lost many over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Seminole Tribe is not alone in taking legal action. Many communities across the state have filed similar suits in response to the Florida opioid crisis. Another Floridian tribe, the Miccosukee Tribe, based in western Broward and Miami-Dade counties, filed a federal suit<\/a> against many of the same drug companies earlier this year as they have experienced similar devastation within their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impact of the opioid crisis on Native Americans has been severely damaging. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shows that, since 2000, overdose deaths in the Native American population has had a nearly six-fold increase<\/a> \u2060\u2014 the fastest rate of any group in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scale of this tragedy within Native American tribes is not only felt by family members; it also affects tribal governance and sustainability. Unlike states, Native American tribes do not receive federal subsidies for Medicare and private insurance companies. This means that tribes have to independently fund healthcare needs of members \u2060\u2014 which dramatically increased with the rise in the wake of the opioid epidemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the suit, the Seminole Tribe makes the argument<\/a> that pharmaceutical companies engaged in deceptive marketing strategies and tactics to sell more drugs \u2060\u2014 despite the known health risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not just Native American tribes who are suing opioid manufacturers and distributors. Several different<\/a> governmental bodies and agencies \u2060\u2014 27 hospitals<\/a>, other tribes, cities, counties and even the state of Florida \u2060\u2014 have filed opioid lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What will be the outcome? It\u2019s not clear yet. The landmark win<\/a> against Johnson & Johnson in Oklahoma is encouraging for groups like the Seminole Tribe. However, a precedent may have been set that would be bad for tribes when a federal court in Oklahoma decided<\/a> that tribes could not sue drug companies as they are not tribal members. Purdue Pharma\u2019s decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy could also spell trouble. Legal experts predict<\/a> that such a move might limit what victims like the Seminole Tribe are able to collect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if the Seminole Tribe is able to win its lawsuit, this will only send a message to the responsible parties and help them recoup financial damages \u2060\u2014 it will not solve the problem of opioid addiction. The best way to prevent further harm to the community is to stop the flow of opioids and help people who are struggling with addiction get the treatment they need and deserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you or someone you love is struggling with opioid addiction<\/a>, reach out to The Recovery Village Palm Beach at Baptist Health<\/a> to learn about treatment options. Recovery is possible, and there is hope.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Native American tribes have been disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic. Now, local tribes are standing up to drug manufacturers and distributors to hold them accountable. Native Americans across the nation have been hit hard by the opioid crisis. Like other governmental bodies, tribes are taking action to hold pharmaceutical companies and companies that distributed opioids responsible. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":3688,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[70],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-5296","blog","type-blog","status-publish","hentry","category-news","tag-opioids"],"acf":{"written_by":297,"enable_medically_and_up":"","medically_reviewed_by":null,"medically_reviewed_content":"This article was reviewed by a medical professional to guarantee the delivery of accurate and up-to- date information. View our research policy.<\/a>","up_to_date":"The Editorial Team at The Recovery Village Palm Beach at Baptist Health fact-checks, reviews, edits and continuously updates content we publish on this website.","page_first_published_date":null,"page_last_edit_date":null,"highlighted_description":"If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, help is available. Speak with a Recovery Advocate by calling 888-648-0738<\/b><\/a> now.","key_takeaways":"","source":{"source_label":"View Sources","source_content":"\u201c<\/span>Seminole Tribe of Florida v. AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation et al<\/span><\/a>.\u201d Dockets.Justia.com. Accessed October 3, 2019.<\/span>\r\n\r\nShammas, Brittany. \u201c<\/span>Miccosukee Tribe Sues Opioid Manufacturers Over Drug Epidemic<\/span><\/a>.\u201d Miami New Times, February 22, 2019. Accessed October 3, 2019.<\/span>\r\n\r\nMcGivern, Kylie. \u201c<\/span>Florida negotiating settlement with Purdue Pharma over opioid crisis<\/span><\/a>.\u201d ABC Action News, September 12, 2019. Accessed October 3, 2019.<\/span>\r\n\r\n\u201c<\/span>Florida Hospitals File Lawsuit Against Opioid Manufacturers and Distributors<\/span><\/a>.\u201d PR Newswire, September 18, 2019. Accessed October 3, 2019.<\/span>\r\n\r\nFortier, Jackie. \u201c<\/span>Oklahoma wins $572 million from opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson<\/span><\/a>.\u201d StateImpactNPR.org, August 28, 2019. Accessed October 3, 2019.<\/span>\r\n\r\nLipscomb, Jessica. \u201c<\/span>\u2018Ravaged\u2019 by the Opioid Crisis, Seminole Tribe Sues Purdue and Other Drug Manufacturers<\/span><\/a>.\u201d Miami New Times, September 19, 2019. Accessed October 3, 2019.<\/span>"},"staff_member_heading":"Authorship","staff_member":[{"staff_member_title":"By","select_staff_member":297}],"insurance_label":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/5296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/5296\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/3688"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff\/297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Impact of Opioid Use on Native American Tribes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Other Florida Lawsuits Over Opioid Use<\/h2>\n\n\n\n