Cowley County commissioners have decided to drop out of a opioid lawsuit several months after they joined it.
The commission approved a resolution Tuesday night removing itself from the suit initiated by Sedgwick County and joined by Cowley County in April 2018.
The purpose of the suit, as described by the lawyers for Sedgwick County and explained at length in the suit itself, was to go after the “Big Pharma” companies that have been encouraging physicians to prescribe opioids while denying they are addictive. That, according to the claim, promotes the current opioid crisis.
“The opioid crisis is everywhere. Why wouldn’t you sign on?” commission chair Alan Groom said several months ago in explaining why the commission voted to support Sedgwick County in the case. “There is no cost to us, and Sedgwick County is looking for people to support them.” But Groom now has a different view. He said this week that he had been approached by an individual working at a local Walmart pharmacy who said she was concerned that the litigation could get her fired.
Groom said he was concerned that any Cowley County resident might lose her job because of the litigation, so he thought the commission should consider getting out of it.
After some discussion, commissioners agreed to pass the resolution to get out of the lawsuit.
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