Earlier today Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, pleaded guilty to three criminal charges in a federal court. After the story was tweeted out by the Associated Press, Jason Isbell took to Twitter with a biting remark.
Whatever happens to them won’t ever be enough. Public enemy number one. https://t.co/0vQMmGjSKw
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) November 24, 2020
Isbell has been candid in the past about his alcoholism and drug use. It isn’t surprising that someone who has been in the position of having an addiction would have harsh criticisms for the company. The Department of Justice is of the opinion that Purdue was at the center of the opioid epidemic that is still sweeping the country.
The singer-songwriter is no stranger to firing off hot takes on Twitter.
The Purdue Pharma Case
In a virtual hearing with a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey the OxyContin manufacturer pleaded guilty to three criminal charges. These charges include conspiring to defraud officials, paying illegal kickbacks to doctors, and illegally paying a healthcare records vendor.
The drug manufacturer admitted that they had purposely impeded the Drug Enforcement Agency’s efforts to curb the opioid epidemic. They did so by lying about having a program in place to stop the drugs from being diverted to the black market. The company provided fraudulent information to law enforcement agencies. This allowed them to get around certain manufacturing limitations.
Purdue also pleaded guilty to two different charges involving making illegal payments. Firstly, they found a way to pay doctors to entice them to write more prescriptions for the highly addictive drug. Finally, they pleaded guilty to paying a healthcare records vendor to send doctors cherry-picked information. They hoped to make the drug seem harmless so that doctors would prescribe it to more patients.
Jason Isbell Isn’t Alone in His Anger
Jason Isbell isn’t the only one who has some anger pointed toward Purdue. Many critics want to see individuals involved in the company taken to task. While the manufacturer stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars, the individuals involved stand to lose relatively little.
The opioid epidemic has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and shows no signs of slowing down despite efforts by law enforcement and legislators. There are many who would like to see those who made the decisions connected to the aforementioned charges face some criminal and civil penalties.
