Senator Lankford Statement on Ruling for Victims of the Opioid Crisis

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued a statement after today’s verdict in Oklahoma’s case against Johnson & Johnson regarding the company’s “public nuisance” contribution to the opioid crisis in the state. Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman ordered the company to pay $572 million to Oklahoma, which will be contributed to a state fund and used primarily for research on pain and addiction. 

“For victims of the opioid crisis and their families, today is a day of justice,” said Lankford. “I applaud the Attorney General and his team for their tireless work on behalf of every community in our state impacted by drug abuse and addiction. While money will not help restore the loss of life and life-long consequences of the crisis of addiction and dependency, this money will help prevent a crisis like this in the future and help Oklahomans struggling with addiction. We must continue to address the national emergency of opioids and other drugs and work to find solutions at the federal, state, and local levels.”

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