'Legitimate reasons' to sue drug companies over opioid crisis, says former B.C. attorney general

A staggering 488 people have died in British Columbia of drug overdoses so far this year and some advocates want pharmaceutical companies to share the blame for the ongoing opioid epidemic.

The state of Ohio on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against five major drug companies, accusing them of misrepresenting the risks of prescription opioid painkillers. 

B.C.'s former attorney general, Ujjal Dosanjh, said the same could be done in Canada.

• Ohio sues 5 drug companies over opioid crisis

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"I think that there are legitimate reasons to commence legal action," Dosanjh told CBC's guest host of The Early Edition Laura Lynch.

Dosanjh launched a similar lawsuit on behalf of the province against tobacco companies in the 1990s and said he believes companies should be held responsible for not disclosing the full information about their products.

"We know in our history there have been huge examples when pharmaceutical companies have misled the public and the government," he said. "And the public has suffered consequences, devastating consequences, as we are now suffering in this opioid crisis."

To hear the full interview with Ujjal Dosanjh, click on the audio link below: 

Setting a precedent for the future 

Dosanjh's lawsuit against the tobacco companies is still working its way through the courts. Despite the length of time to process such cases, he said, there are long-lasting benefits.

In part, it means that damages can be collected and paid to the victims or the victims' families. But the bigger issue at hand, Dosanjh said, is that it sets a precedent of holding companies accountable.

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"The point of launching the lawsuit would be to actually ensure that the pharmaceutical companies do not continue to mislead the public with respect to the effects of the medication they produce," he said. "Not just in this particular instance but in the future to come."

When Dosanjh was preparing for the lawsuit against the tobacco companies, he was inspired by similar cases in the United States and learnt from those cases. He said he encourages the B.C. government to the do same now with pharmaceutical companies.

With files from The Early Edition.