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Upstate Cities Sue Drug Makers Over Opioid Epidemic

Composite photo Dave Lucas/WAMC & Be.Futureproof/Flickr

Four upstate New York cities are suing the manufacturers and distributors of opioid painkillers.

Plattsburgh, Albany, Schenectady and Troy allege the companies misled health care providers about the addiction risks associated with prescribing opioids and failed to control or report suspicious orders of opioids that flooded communities and devastated families. The lawsuits were filed by the Albany law firm Dreyer Boyajian LaMarche Safranko PLLC. Founding partner Donald Boyajian spoke with WAMC last year:   “This is a real problem in virtually every municipality in that there’s increased numbers of EMS and first responders responding to overdose and other issues. So it involves costs for police and for fire and for the drugs which are administered.”

While not mentioning specific damages, the suits seek to recoup costs expended by the municipalities.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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