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This hour, Vermont Edition speaks with workers helping people through recovery from opioid addiction during the deadliest year of the opioid crisis yet in Vermont.
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The state of Vermont set a grim record last year: 210 residents died from opioid overdoses — the first time in the state’s history that number topped 200, according to health department data.
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Last week, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office announced that a bankruptcy settlement with opioid maker Purdue Pharma cleared another hurdle. Vermont could receive up to nearly $38 million under the agreement.
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Vermont will receive $64 million under a settlement reached with four U.S. companies — Johnson & Johnson as well as drug wholesalers AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson — over their role in fueling the opioid crisis. The money could start flowing as soon as April.
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Nikolas Kerest was sworn in as the new U.S. attorney for the District of Vermont in December. As the chief federal law officer in the state, he says violent crime, white-collar crime and bias incidents will be his top priorities, while the clash between state and federal law when it comes to cannabis will not be "on the top of our priority list."
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A ban on using telemedicine to prescribe controlled medications was suspended in the pandemic. That's allowed many to seek opioid addiction treatment, but some worry about potential for abuse.
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A federal judge has overturned the $4.5 billion settlement between Purdue Pharma, which makes OxyContin, and the Sackler family, that would have protected the family from litigation of their own.
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Last week, the state of Vermont and four others filed a legal brief seeking to reverse a bankruptcy plan for Purdue Pharma. Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan says it doesn't hold the company's owners sufficiently accountable.
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With opioid overdoses surging, harm-reduction groups are calling on the FDA to change naloxone's prescription-only status. This would make it easier to get the lifesaving drug to people at risk.
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Tuesday's verdict comes as CVS, Walgreens and Walmart face thousands of lawsuits filed by communities across the U.S. The companies say they did nothing wrong dispensing huge quantities of opioids.