14
S moke S ignals
DECEMBER 1, 2017
Legal battles over OxyContin continue today
OPIOID continued
from page 13
the marketing was intentionally
misleading, often presenting these
drugs as safer and more effective
than other painkillers.
Legal battles over OxyContin con-
tinue to this day. For example, ear-
lier this year the Cherokee Nation
filed a lawsuit against distributors
and pharmacies in Tribal Court
over the opioid epidemic. In Janu-
ary, the city of Everett, Wash., filed
a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma,
alleging that the company knew
its product was being sold on the
black market.
On Aug. 3, Multnomah County
filed a $250 million lawsuit against
several major U.S. pharmaceuti-
cal companies, including Purdue
Pharma. The county alleges that
drug companies spent vast sums
of money “marketing, advertising,
generating articles, holding con-
tinuing medical education courses,
making sales visits to individual
doctors, and supporting a network
of professional societies and advo-
cacy groups intended to create a
new, yet false, consensus support-
ing the long-term use of opioids.”
Such efforts were “wildly success-
ful,’’ the county asserts, making bil-
lions in profits, but also creating a
Adult Foster Program
The Tribe’s Adult Foster Care lodges are committed to offering quality
care to our Elders and helping them remain as independent as possible, while
providing the personalized assistance they need. At our lodges, a wide range
of services is available in a comfortable setting where privacy is respected
and maximum independence is supported. For information, contact Adult
Foster Program Director Peggy Shaver at 503-879-1694.
“profit-driven public health crisis.’’
‘It took everything from me’
Tribal member Barry Larsen is
a recovering addict and alcoholic.
He takes tramadol to manage pain,
but says it doesn’t cause problems
for him.
“I take it as prescribed and don’t
abuse it,” he says. “Alcohol is my
drug of choice and has been a prob-
lem for the past 25 years, but not
opioids.”
At one point, he was hooked on
methamphetamine, but quit using
it two years ago.
“It took everything from me,”
Larsen says. “As long as there was
dope around, everything was good.
But when we were sitting there at
Christmas with no tree, no presents
and our power about to be shut off,
that was enough.”
Today, he co-leads classes for
recovering addicts in Grand Ronde,
a far cry from where he was a few
years ago. Although Larsen doesn’t
struggle with opioid use, he knows
of others who have, with devastat-
ing consequences. Opioids contain
heroin, which is known as being
one of the most difficult drugs to
quit using due to extremely painful
withdrawal symptoms.
“I believe what really started
this whole thing was OxyContin,”
Larsen says. “People were crushing
it, snorting it and smoking it. The
pills were like $30 each. When you
get per capita, you can do that but
eventually it becomes a problem. A
heroin dealer comes rolling along,
and gives them more for much
cheaper, and pretty soon they’re
addicted.”
Behavioral Health Alcohol/Drug
Counselor Joe Martineau knows
all too well about the devastating
effects of substance abuse.
“Today, it seems as if we treat ev-
ery problem with a drug,” he says.
“This is a problem nationally and
on this Reservation. It’s at a point
today where a higher percentage
than ever are using prescription
medications. It is important to
educate the Tribe about what pre-
scription drug abuse is and what
the symptoms are.”
Some of those symptoms include
constipation, nausea, feeling high,
drowsiness, confusion, poor coor-
dination and increased pain with
higher doses.
“We need to come together as a
community to help our people be
in less danger,” Martineau says.
“If you’re in a situation where you
are dependent on medications, and
your doctor is prescribing less, then
you may go to illegal sources and
get the synthetic version.”
Synthetic opiates, often made
in clandestine labs, have been
responsible for an increasing
number of overdoses because the
drugs are often “cut” with other
unknown and potentially fatal
substances.
According to overdose records
from 24 major cities reviewed by
The Washington Post, synthetic
fentanyl, a drug 100 times more
powerful than morphine, rose from
582 fatal overdoses in 2014 to 3,946
last year. Officials estimate a much
higher number of fatal overdoses
this year, especially as the noose
tightens around prescription drug
availability.
The overdose stories hit Martin-
eau close to home.
“My younger brother became
super addicted to opiates,” he says.
“This summer, he tried fentanyl
for the first time and he died. I’ve
lost three nieces, three nephews
and three brothers to drugs. My
connection is family … People are
dying.”
Gift Making Workshop
All are welcome!!
Join us and help make giveaway gifts
for Tribal Events hosted throughout
the year.
This is a wonderful way to be a part
of our tradition of giving, creating
gifts filled with good thoughts and
blessings for our fellow Tribal Fami-
lies and guests.
Main events: Plank house Birthday
Celebration, Restoration Celebration,
Round Dance, Canoe Journey, Youth
Powwow’s, Elder’s Honor day and
Cultural Exchanges.
(the workshop is a year round event, future events will
be advertised at a later date)
Dinner provided
November 9th
November 30th
December 14th
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
at the Tribal
Community Center
Sponsored by the Cultural
Education and Youth Prevention
Programs