Now, greater than ever, there are folks in want as they battle with the impacts of the pandemic. Because the pandemic, now we have seen an increase in drug dependancy and overdose deaths.
One of many largest contributors to those addictions are opioids. Opioids proceed to plague our neighborhood as they’re quickly addicting and have now morphed into the much more harmful fentanyl with a spike in deaths.
As we proceed to battle with this improve in dependancy, I imagine we should encourage our elected officers and courts to research and search to carry the businesses that perpetuated this epidemic accountable, particularly when they’re revealed to have focused a few of our most susceptible populations.
Whereas many corporations have been held liable for their position within the opioid epidemic together with Purdue Pharma, which was discovered criminally responsible and is bankrupt for its position within the disaster, a consulting firm that advises a number of the largest corporations on this planet stays unaccountable.
McKinsey & Firm admitted to incomes tens of millions of {dollars} by serving to corporations market opioid painkillers, and was additionally employed by the Meals and Drug Administration, which regulates the drug trade — together with opioids. This battle of curiosity is clearly incorrect. As somebody who witnesses the ravages of opioid dependancy, I ask that our elected officers additional examine this challenge.
Earlier this month the Wall Road Journal reported that McKinsey, a world consulting agency with greater than 30,000 workers, didn’t disclose its conflicts of curiosity whereas working for the Division of Veterans Affairs. McKinsey didn’t open up to the VA that it additionally labored for the main opioid producers within the nation, the exact same corporations that McKinsey had developed “mission turbocharge” for in an effort to improve opioid gross sales.
This hits house to me as somebody who works with veterans and people with addictions at Confidential Restoration in San Diego. We must always maintain all of those corporations accountable, particularly those who suggested and developed opioid gross sales methods impacting veterans and on the identical time consulted for the VA.
California has appreciable political energy in Washington. The present speaker of the home, like the previous speaker earlier than him, is a California consultant. Veterans additionally wield appreciable energy in Sacramento and the nation’s capital.
So Californians ought to name on their elected representatives to make use of this energy to conduct oversight and maintain McKinsey to account. Our elected representatives also needs to re-examine the enterprise relationships between the federal government and McKinsey.
Taxpayer {dollars} shouldn’t be used to counterpoint a non-public firm that has profited from the struggling and distress of our fellow Californians.
Scott H. Silverman is CEO of Confidential Restoration, an dependancy restoration heart in San Diego.
