Department of Justice Sues Walmart Over Nationwide Opioid Epidemic

The Department of Justice is suing Walmart for their alleged involvement in the U.S. opioid crisis. Walmart oversees more than 5,000 pharmacies in the U.S. alone, making them “one of the largest pharmacy chains and wholesale drug distributors in the country.” According to the lawsuit filed yesterday, it’s believed Walmart committed hundreds of thousands of questionable prescription practices and deliberately violated U.S. regulations. They’ve been accused of pressuring staff to fill prescriptions quicker than normal, filling invalid orders, withholding crucial information from pharmacists, and failing to report suspicious orders. The DOJ has thus accused Walmart of contributing to the nation’s opioid epidemic as early as 2013. Walmart vehemently denies the allegations, claiming the DOJ’s lawsuit is riddled with irregularities and inaccuracies. This is the largest lawsuit ever brought against a company that places blame for the country’s drug crisis. If found guilty, the fines could amount to “billions of dollars”.