(InvestigateTV) — This Week on InvestigateTV: Billions of lawsuit settlement dollars are being paid out by the opioid industry. But advocates say more needs to be done to include the public in the conversation about how to spend it. Plus, quiet, small-town life interrupted by a rash of opioid overdoses. WHERE TO WATCH ICYMI – Watch last week’s episode.
Payback: Overdose Epidemic: Opioid manufacturers are being forced to pay out over $50 billion in restitution to settle various lawsuits related to the overdose epidemic – but there isn’t much transparency when it comes to how the money is being spent. We’re partnering with KFF Health News to look at the oversight – or lack thereof – of state and local government spending of the opioid settlement dollars. In this story, we will also focus on spending that’s intended to support prevention. A wide range of programs claim to fulfill that goal, from “just say no” campaigns to emerging programs aimed at reducing childhood trauma and treating mental illness. But they’re not all effective.
Wake Up Calls of a Crisis: A silent killer – fentanyl wreaks havoc on communities big and small. The drug’s deadly grip was all too apparent in a quiet South Carolina town one fateful weekend. Nearly a dozen overdoses, four of which were fatal, in just 24 hours. 911 calls illustrate the panic and horror created by this deadly drug.
Skin-Rotting ‘Zombie Drug’: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is warning of a sharp increase in fentanyl being mixed with Xylazine – a powerful veterinary tranquilizer. The mixture – something the DEA has seized in 48 states – places users at an even higher risk of a fatal overdose because of its sedative effect and the fact that it’s not an opioid, meaning drugs that reverse opioid-related overdoses will not work. Health officials in Hawaii are trying to keep the so-called ‘zombie drug’ from spreading on the streets.
Watching Your Wallet – Check Washing: Fraudsters never stop trying to get your money, and sometimes the less sophisticated scams are the easiest ones to rip you off. In this Watching Your Wallet, Consumer Investigator Rachel DePompa talks to a financial expert about an old scam making the rounds you need to know about.
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