Legislative Effort to Fight Opioid Addiction Criticized

Senator Chris Eaton, DFL-Brooklyn Center and supporters of an effort to impose a "penny-a-pill" charge on the sale of opioid painkillers criticized state lawmakers Tuesday, May 22, for passing legislation they claim falls short of their original goals. Specifically, Governor Dayton proposed raising $20 million dollars for efforts to curb opioid addiction, and that measure was later modified in the Senate to impose a fee rather than a per pill charge. In the end, lawmakers did advance funding in the supplemental appropriations bill to support grants to opioid addiction treatment programs, but does not include the ongoing support as originally proposed.

"Taxpayers have paid enough. We don't need taxpayer funds to pay to remedy this situation. The pharmaceutical companies caused this epidemic," said Eaton in criticizing the legislation that uses general fund money rather than a new tax or fee on pharmaceutical companies. "As far as I'm concerned, they killed them, and I am angry," said Eaton in reference to Minnesotans who have died as a result of their addiction to opioids.