Did Walmart Contribute to the Opioid Crisis in New York

The opioid crisis in America has not gone away but now America is fighting back. On Tuesday the Department of Justice filed a complaint against Walmart Inc. for controlled substances act violations. In other words the DOJ feels Walmart unlawfully dispensed and distributed prescription opioids. Thus helping to fuel the opioid crisis.

The 160 page complaint suggests that, as a pharmacy, Walmart violated the rules for dispensing controlled substances. As a distributor, Walmart violated it's duty to detect and report suspicious orders of controlled substances.

It was also stated in the complaint that Walmart managers told pharmacists that prescriptions had to be filled quickly because “shorter wait times keep patients in store.” They urged pharmacists to speed up the time it took to fill each prescription because filling prescriptions “is a battle of seconds” and “wait times are our Achilles heel!”.

Walmart has over 100 stores in New York state, including the largest Supercenter in the United States, right here in Albany. So what has this meant to our neighbors in the Capital Region? Did Walmart have a hand in the opioid crisis? Time will tell. In the meantime here are some figures regarding New York and the crisis.

As of 2017 the New York State Data Dashboard shows that overdose deaths involving any opioid fell predominately with White males between 25 and 44 years of age with the next largest segment coming from White males between 45 and 64.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction here are some treatment centers in the Capital Region that may be able to help.