The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
October 22, 2020

Billionaire Sackler Family Gets No Jail Time in $8 Billion OxyContin Settlement
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Purdue Pharma has agreed to an $8 billion settlement with the Justice
Department over its illegal marketing of the powerful opioid Oxy Contin.
Under the deal, the Purdue corporation will plead guilty to three
criminal counts, but no one - not even members of the billionaire
Sackler family who own Purdue - will face any jail time. Purdue Pharma
is in bankruptcy proceedings, making it likely the company will pay just
a fraction of the $8 billion settlement.

As opioid abuse surged across the U.S., drug overdoses became the
leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50 - with more
than 67,000 such deaths in 2018 alone.

In a statement, the advocacy group P.A.I.N. Sackler wrote, "This proves
that there are two justice systems in America - one for billionaires and
one for the rest of us. The Sacklers' walking away from Purdue is a
retirement, not a punishment."


.