POUGHKEEPSIE – Pointing to the increased epidemic of opioid abuse around the nation, Dutchess County Legislator Joel Tyner is urging his colleagues to sue the opioid manufacturers.
Tyner, who said that accidental drug overdose deaths in Dutchess jumped 31 percent from 2014 to 2015, said the manufacturers of those prescription meds should be held accountable.
“These opioid manufacturers knew darn well how dangerous the product was and they worked to alleviate legitimate concerns through a coordinated, sophisticated marketing campaign and they need to be held accountable and responsible,” he said.
Tyner noted the counties of Erie, Broome and Suffolk have filed lawsuits against those drug manufacturers.
The Democrat lawmaker secured the signatures of seven county legislators from both sides of the aisle to urge the full board to file suit against the pill companies.
