Orange City, Iowa — One area county has joined a federal class-action lawsuit, hoping to recover some damages.
The Sioux County Board of Supervisors recently signed on to join a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies for damages caused by the opioid epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) says opioids are substances derived from the opium poppy or synthetic analogues with similar effects. Examples include morphine, heroin, tramadol, oxycodone (commonly sold under the trade names OxyContin and Percocet) and methadone. The WHO says opioids have the potential to cause substance dependence.
And that’s the start of the problem, according to Sioux County Board Of Supervisors Chair Mark Sybesma.
He tells us why the Board of Supervisors signed on.
He says while Sioux County is one of the first counties in Iowa to sign on, there are many counties in other states that are part of the class-action suit.
He says the Board of Supervisors passed it unanimously after it was well-explained, and Sybesma says he encourages boards of supervisors in other counties to do the same.
