HUNTINGTON â After resting its months-long case in which the city of Huntington and Cabell County accused drug distributors of helping to cause the opioid crisis in the area, the municipalities faced their biggest obstacle Thursday â satisfying an inquisitive judge.
The trial stemmed from the local governmentsâ accusations against AmerisourceBergen Corp., Cardinal Health and McKesson Co., who they accuse of fueling the opioid crisis by shipping 127.9 million dosage units of opioids to the community over eight years before a reduction of shipments made people with substance use disorder turn to illicit drugs.
The distribution companies argue the Drug Enforcement Administration, doctorsâ prescribing habits and West Virginiansâ history of poor health as the reasons behind the shipments.