Received this e-mail today from former Rep. Gwen Graham’s (D. FL) gubernatorial campaign:
We have a crisis on our hands in Florida -- and Rick Scott and his administration aren’t doing enough to stop it.
The effects of the opioid epidemic are as heartbreaking as they are far-reaching. In 2016, an average of 14 Floridians died every day from opioid use -- mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives. And the crisis shows no sign of slowing down.
What we’re doing is clearly not enough. That’s why I’m calling on Governor Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi to use the legal system to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for all the harm they’ve inflicted on our state. Will you join me?
The opioid crisis has forced Florida to spend billions of dollars to treat people with addiction and to pay for an increase in first responders. These costs are being borne by families and communities -- when they should be borne by the companies responsible for causing this problem.
It’s now clear that pharmaceutical companies knew very well that opioids were extremely addictive and that rampant use could lead to overdoses, but they hid this information from the medical community. As a result, millions of people nationwide are addicted to opioids.
I met some of these people, and the health workers who care for them, on a recent Workday at an addiction treatment center in Boca Raton. My conversations with them deepened my belief that we must do better for our state.
In the 1990s, Florida led the country in suing tobacco companies for poisoning our people. We could and should take that sort of leadership role again, by suing pharmaceutical companies for getting people addicted. Five other states have already filed lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies -- but Rick Scott has refused. He isn’t doing his job -- he isn’t protecting Floridians.
Together, you and I are going to show him the right thing to do. Will you add your name to call on Rick Scott and Pam Bondi to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the damage they’ve caused?
Thank you,
Gwen
Click here to add your name.