Updated: January 18, 2018

22ND JUDICIAL DISTRICT ATTORNEY BRENT COOPER HAS JOINED OTHER LOCAL DISTRICT ATTORNEYS IN A LAWSUIT FILED LAST WEEK AGAINST SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S LARGEST OPIOID PRODUCERS.  ACCORDING TO THE DAILY HERALD, THE LAWSUIT, WHICH IS THE THIRD COMPLAINT FILED IN RECENT MONTHS,  ALLEGES THAT THE DEFENDANTS NAMED IN THE SUIT KNOWINGLY PARTICIPATED IN THE ILLEGAL OPIOID MARKET BY CONVINCING PHYSICIANS THAT OPIOIDS CARRY A LOW RISK OF ADDICTION AND THEREFORE ARE APPROPRIATE FOR NON ACUTE PROBLEMS SUCH AS CHRONIC PAIN.  THE ACTIONS OF OVERPRESCRIBING OPIOIDS GENERATED A SIGNIFICANT REGIONAL INFLUX OF PILLS, RESULTING IN A ROBUST ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE.  IT IS HOPED THAT FUNDS FROM THE LAWSUIT WOULD ALLOW FOR TREATMENT OPTIONS FROM THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE DRUG THAT WAS MISREPRESENTED AS HARMLESS.  AMONG THE NINETEEN COUNTIES NAMED IN THE SUIT, MORE THAN ONE MILLION OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS WERE FILLED IN 2016.  IN ADDITION TO JUDGMENTS FOR DAMAGES AND RESTITUTION, A REQUEST FOR AN INJUNCTION TO STOP THE FLOOD OF OPIODS TO THE REGION IS ALSO BEING SOUGHT.