Statement of Alderman Michael J. Murphy
January 30, 2020
Today it was announced by the City Attorney that a formal complaint has been filed in federal court to take action against the dozens of pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies engaged in false and misleading practices that have resulted in the increase in opioid addiction and overdose deaths in the City of Milwaukee.
This action can only be described as a win for Milwaukee which has been one of the communities hit the hardest by the opioid epidemic.
The behavior of these organizations has led to a sharp increase in budget expenses related to first responder overtime, Narcan training, emergency care, and treatment. All of this serves as an extra burden to the taxpayers.
When I sponsored legislation in October that authorized the City Attorney to hire outside council to explore legal action against these entities, the goal was to determine the best path forward to protect the interest of residents. Today’s filing does just that, and I want to extend my gratitude to the City Attorney’s Office for their diligent work and collaboration with Napoli Shkolnik, PLLC.
While this action is an important and necessary step forward there is still more work to be done. As co-chair of the City-County Heroin, Opioid and Cocaine Task Force, I look forward to continuing the progress made in combating this epidemic.