KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — The Tennessee Attorney General announced Wednesday that he filed a lawsuit against Walgreens for illegally distributing and selling opioids.
In the lawsuit, Attorney General Herbert Slatery III said that Walgreens violated the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act and the state's public nuisance statute. He said that the company didn't have effective controls against abuse and diversion, creating a public law nuisance.
The lawsuit focuses on the company's actions between 2006 and 2020, according to a release from the Attorney General's Office. It said that during this time, the company had one of the largest market shares in the state and had "unique and superior knowledge" of how many opioids were being sold and distributed in its stores.
"Opioids have savaged the State of Tennessee. It is among the states hit hardest when it comes to the opioid crisis," the lawsuit said. "Sadly, at least 3 Tennesseeans die every day from an opioid-related overdose. But behind the numbers are people — the Tennesseans bearing the devastating impacts of this ongoing public health disaster."
The lawsuit said Walgreens had between 200 and 300 retail stores in the state during that time period, dispensing a total of 1.1 billion oxycodone and hydrocodone pills.
They said the amount they distributed over those 14 years totals around 175 pills for every person in the state. On average, Walgreens effectively gave out 12 and a half pills per person, per year.
A single Walgreen's pharmacy in Jamestown dispensed enough opioids to every resident in the town around 2,104 pills, according to the lawsuit.
It also claims that Walgreens regularly sold large amounts of dangerous and high-risk prescription combinations. A common combination included an opioid, Xanax and a muscle relaxer.
It also says that Walgreens did not train its pharmacists on how to recognize red flags for opioid abuse and ignored reports of suspicious prescribes, effectively allowing the company to continue selling opioids after the prescribers were raided, disciplined, arrested or indicted.
"Walgreens filled numerous opioid prescriptions for children as young as two-years-old, including one which was the largest narcotics prescription written by a dentist in Erin, Tennessee," the lawsuit said. "The prescription was 2.5 times the recommended maximum daily dose of opioids for an adult."
According to a release from the Attorney General's office, the lawsuit is part of several actions that the state filed against companies for possible misconduct related to opioids.
The lawsuit was filed in Knox County Circuit Court.