Jury in Baltimore to decide whether drug companies are responsible for the city's opioid crisis

BALTIMORE – Jurors in Baltimore will decide whether two drug companies must pay the city more than $260 million in damages for allegedly contributing to the opioid crisis.

The decision came after a six-week trial in which the city's lawyers argued that the companies were more concerned with profit than public health. According to the city, the companies shipped millions of opioid pills to Baltimore without regard to their addictive properties. This oversupply, they argue, has led residents to turn to more powerful drugs like fentanyl and heroin, worsening the crisis.

The companies claim they acted legally by selling approved painkillers to licensed pharmacies and deny responsibility for any illegal drug trafficking.

The city has already secured $400 million in settlements from other opioid companies, including Walgreens, Johnson & Johnson, Teva PharmaceuticalsAnd CVS in similar lawsuits. Jurors will now decide whether these two companies constituted a “public nuisance” to Baltimore.

The city is seeking damages to cover current and future costs related to the opioid crisis, including funds already spent on law enforcement and health initiatives.