As an opioid NAS lawyer Memphis TN can trust, I am outraged by the opioid epidemic — which claims far too many lives every day — and new federal data show we are nowhere near the end of this crisis.
For the third consecutive year, life expectancy in the United States has dropped. The number of drug-related deaths is a key factor, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2017, there were more than 70,000 fatal overdoses — the highest for any single year in American history, and nearly 10% higher than in 2016.
The opioid crisis started in the 1990s.
Over twenty years ago, pharmaceutical companies led doctors to believe there was little harm in prescribing opioid painkillers. They minimized the risk of addiction, and prescriptions skyrocketed.
Many patients who became addicted to legally prescribed opioids, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, turn to illegal ones, like heroin and fentanyl. Drug dealers prey upon opiate users who lost access to prescribed painkillers, as well as addicts in search of a cheap high. Fentanyl, which is cheaper and deadlier than heroin, has caused many of the recent overdoses.
Some babies are born addicted.
When opioids first hit the market back in the nineties, doctors and patients didn’t know the potential side effects on the development of children. Again, aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical giants manipulated the public consciousness.
As a result, many mothers took opioids during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Tragically, the addiction can pass from mother to child. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a group of conditions that occur in babies exposed to drugs in the womb. They endure painful withdrawal during their first days of life. The effects of NAS can last a lifetime. As a father and an opioid NAS lawyer Memphis TN trusts, this breaks my heart.
Get help from an opioid NAS lawyer Memphis TN
There are thousands of NAS cases here in Memphis. According to the new CDC data, Tennessee’s overdose death rate is higher than the general U.S. rate. I am committed to getting justice for families who’ve endured the devastation. A dangerous drugs lawyer Memphis, TN relies on has seen countless injuries caused by unsafe prescription drugs and prescription practices. Call to learn how we can help.
We will fight for your rights and make every effort to get you the care and compensation you deserve with the help of an opioid NAS Lawyer Memphis TN can rely on.
Contact us online today or call 901-327-1212 to speak in person with lawyers who can get you the justice you deserve.