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As Opioid Cases Advance In Court System, Opinions Vary On Where Recovered Money Should Go

West Virginia Morning
West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of the opioid drug OxyContin, said it reached a tentative deal last week that would settle some of the thousands of lawsuits brought against them by state and local governments in the wake of the opioid crisis. But the company now says it will delcare bankruptcy in the face of their potential legal liability.

As Kara Lofton reports, some are arguing any money recovered from Purdue and other defendents shouldn’t go to state governments. Instead, they say it should go directly to providers and hospitals.

Also on today's show, the U.S. Census Bureau released data last week that shows the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line went down for the first time since the Great Recession of 2008. 

Eric Douglas spoke with an expert about how the data is a good sign, and about the work that’s left to be done.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University. Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from CAMC and Marshall Health.