The Utah County Commission passed a resolution Tuesday to pursue legal action against the manufacturers of opioids. They’re now the second county in the state to do so this week.
“Besides being [harmful] financially for the county, it needs to be under a certain amount of scrutiny and control that we’re looking at on a regular basis to curb this epidemic that’s going on," says County Commission Chair Bill Lee.
He says he hopes to have Wasatch Front counties like Salt Lake and Davis come together to hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable for the state’s opioid crisis.
“And I felt personally it was time," he says. "We’ve got to stop talking and let’s start acting.”
Lee says he expects some very focused dialog on the matter at the Utah Association of Counties Annual Legislative Interim Day starting Wednesday in St. George.
The resolution follows Salt Lake County’s decision Monday to go after drug makers. District Attorney Sim Gill says a private law firm will be hired to handle the suit, but did not specify which companies would be targeted.
Letter From Speaker Greg Hughes on Litigation Against Opioid Makers by KUER News
