Wisconsin, others, investigating opiate manufacturers for country’s heroin epidemic

State could follow others into lawsuits for potential illegal activity.

Wisconsin is one of many states launching investigations of opiate manufactures for the role they’ve played in the country’s heroin epidemic.

Wisconsin may follow some states in suing these manufacturers into potentially illegal activity that took place.

Dr. Chris Eberlein, co-chair of the La Crosse County Heroin Task Force, compares it to another landmark case.

“I’m not real surprised by it,” he said. “It seems kind of analogous to the lawsuit against big tobacco to be honest with you.”

Eberlein says that while there likely has been some deceit on prescription bottles about the connection to addiction, science is finally catching up to the reality about the dangers of these drugs.

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimmel publicly announced launching an investigation into opiate manufacturers and if there was any deceit from labeling.

“I think it’s coming around now,” Eberlein said. “But, in particular, 10 years ago when this problem really started to get going, there wasn’t a lot of concern about the addictive level of these drugs. A lot of them were actually promoted as not being very addictive.”

Eberlein says he’s thankful more attention is being paid to the root of the problem, which often times is prescription pain killers. 

“Eighty percent of our heroin users started with prescription drugs,” Eberlein said. “We know that’s where they’re starting from, which is why we’re trying to be so proactive in communities to tighten up prescribing practices and dispose of these drugs.”