Officials say the drugs have been responsible for the addiction and death of hundreds of citizens and takes up millions of public dollars and resources.
Toby Talbot / Associated Press file
Updated Tuesday at 3:11 p.m.
Fulton is the first county in Georgia to file a lawsuit against companies that make and distribute opioids.
Officials say the drugs have been responsible for the addiction and death of hundreds of citizens and take up millions of public dollars and resources.
The 259-page complaint outlines a list of allegations including fraudulent and deceptive marketing and negligence.
“There is a pipeline between getting your wisdom tooth out and getting hooked on opioids and winding up on the street with a needle in your arm,” said Roderick Edmond, an attorney working on the suit.
Fulton is seeking compensation for unspecified damages.
Counties in at least five other states have filed similar lawsuits against drug companies.
A recent investigation by “60 Minutes” and the Washington Post showed how Congress had passed a law that limited the powers of the Drug Enforcement Agency in 2016 to go after pharmacies suspected of moving large amounts of opioids illegally.
