Facing a number of lawsuits across multiple states, the Sackler family has released a new statement regarding their alleged role in the opioid crisis.
Jillian Sackler, president and chief executive of the Dame Jillian and Dr. Arthur M. Sackler Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, wrote an opinion column on The Washington Post urging the public to stop blaming her late husband, Arthur Sackler, for the opioid epidemic.
The Sackler family is behind Purdue Pharma, a pharmaceutical company that allegedly played a key role in spreading the epidemic because of their irresponsible marketing practices involving their opioid products such as OxyContin. Members of the Sackler family are named in various lawsuits across several states, and only a few of these have so far reached a settlement.
In her statement, Jillian Sackler criticized the country’s “national obsession” when it comes to pointing fingers. She said: “We live in an age when assigning blame has become a national obsession, especially when it comes to the horrors of the opioid crisis. How did this happen? Who is responsible? Hearsay builds upon hearsay in the search for culprits, until guilt is assumed—without evidence.”
She then diffused the notion that the members of her family had anything to do with the distribution of opioids. Click the link to see El Paso's top rehab placement programs.
“My late husband, Arthur Sackler, who died in 1987, has been found guilty by association — along with the rest of what is referred to by the blanket designation “the Sackler family” — because of some family members’ association with Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. Yet, like most families, the Sackler family is not a monolith. Neither Arthur nor his heirs had anything to do with the manufacture or marketing of OxyContin. Suggestions that his philanthropy is now somehow tainted are simply false.”
Sackler elaborated on her husband’s career and his eventual death, saying he died of a heart attack nearly 32 years ago at age 73. She pointed out that this was nearly a decade before OxyContin came to the market. “He was a psychiatrist, researcher and successful medical marketer in the nascent years of modern advertising. In 1960, he published one of the first newspapers for doctors, which eventually was distributed to 20 countries in eight languages. As a respected U.S. medical expert, he was invited in 1976 to advise the Chinese Ministry of Health.”
She said that Purdue Pharma in its current form was founded by her husband’s younger brothers, Mortimer and Raymond Sackler, four years after his death. “None of the 1,600-plus lawsuits filed against Purdue Pharma, members of the Sackler family or others in the opioid business names Arthur or his heirs as defendants.”
She then urged the public to stop blaming Arthur for the thousands of opioid overdose-related deaths caused by the opioid epidemic. “Arthur is not here to answer back, but I can tell that blaming him for OxyContin’s marketing, or for any other wrongdoing by the pharmaceutical industry, is as ludicrous as blaming the inventor of the mimeograph for email spam.”
“Fair-minded people who see the terrible consequences of the opioid crisis understandably seek justice and restitution. They demand that legal settlements fund treatment centers for all in need. For that, I am in wholehearted support.”
“But make no mistake: Vilifying an innocent man is wrong,” Sackler added. “It does nothing to help the United States come to grips with the epidemic, nothing to advance solutions. It is profoundly hurtful to his family and to institutions such as the Smithsonian that are now unjustly under pressure to distance themselves from his name and his gifts.”
The Sackler family continues to face multiple lawsuits across the country, as Purdue Pharma struggles to clear its name of its alleged involvement in the opioid crisis.
If someone in the family is struggling with opioid addiction, it is important to seek help. A combination of medical detox and behavioral therapy can go a long way in the fight against drug abuse. But because every individual is affected by addiction differently, a comprehensive program tailored to their specific needs is necessary. Look for a nearby addiction treatment facility today and find out how drug treatment programs work.
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