I do not support the proposed Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan because it does not sufficiently hold the Sackler family accountable. The Sacklers are the founders and owners of Purdue Pharma, which sparked and fueled the opioid crisis. Through this bankruptcy plan, the Sacklers are leveraging their enormous wealth to obtain the protection of the bankruptcy court by having the court extinguish the states’ claims against the Sacklers. At the end of the bankruptcy, the Sacklers will keep billions of dollars in wealth made from the opioid crisis, a substantial portion of which they are shielding in offshore accounts, and have all claims against them dismissed. Meanwhile, the states will continue to struggle to abate the crisis the Sacklers caused.
While I do not support the bankruptcy plan, I am heartened by its requirement to create a public repository of Purdue Pharma and Sackler family documents. I hope that making these documents public will allow the true story to be told about how the opioid crisis started and how so many died or have had their lives ruined.
I want to acknowledge the toll of the opioid crisis on Vermont families, neighbors, and communities. I will continue to pursue those responsible for the opioid crisis and seek to hold them accountable.
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