This archive report was first published on 19 August 2019.
On a rainy day in July, Sister Beth stood outside a federal courthouse in Abingdon, Virginia, reflecting on the outcome of a case that had left her disappointed. The judge had approved a deal between the Justice Department and three Purdue Pharma executives, allowing them to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge without facing jail time.
Twenty years have passed since the opioid crisis first hit this town, and the problems persist. Today, drugs tainted with counterfeit fentanyl are sold on the streets, and the ravages of methamphetamine can be seen in the hollowed bodies of addicts who suddenly fly into psychotic rages.
The inpatient treatment facility that Sister Beth and her team had worked tirelessly to establish was forced to close due to lack of funding. She believes that government funding, both state and federal, was woefully short of what was necessary to help those in need.
However, there are glimmers of hope. Virginia's decision to expand Medicaid has paid for treatment of many low-income people, and an injection of federal grant money has helped to support addiction treatment and prevention efforts.
As Sister Beth, Dr. Van Zee, and Ms. Kobak read through new documents about Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, they are reminded of the devastating impact of the company's actions. In 2001, a son of one of the company's founders, Dr. Richard Sackler, wrote an infamous email about the need to 'hammer on the abusers in every way possible' for the drug's problems.
'You lie so much you believe your own lies,' Sister Beth said. 'That's what devastates me; it was always profits over people.'
