Onondaga County Files Lawsuit Against Drug Companies for Opioid Crisis
Over 426 opioid related deaths in Onondaga County since 2012
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – County Executive Joanie Mahoney & Chairman Ryan McMahon announced today
that Onondaga County has retained counsel and filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies,
manufacturers, distributors and other responsible parties as a result of the growing opioid crisis.
The number of opioid-related deaths in Onondaga County has more than tripled since 2012. The
proportion of opioid-related deaths involving fentanyl has also increased 250% between 2015 and 2016.
In 2016 there were 142 unintended opioid-related deaths within Onondaga County. Drug use impacts
many families in our community, including some of the youngest residents. Onondaga County has the
third highest rate in New York State for newborn drug-related diagnoses with 300.6 drug-related
diagnoses per 10,000 newborn discharges in 2014.
County Executive Joanie Mahoney said, “The opioid epidemic is a serious and growing problem and our
community is not immune to it. Too many families and lives are destroyed by these dangerous drugs and
this lawsuit is a major step forward in our effort to combat this crisis from both a public health and legal
perspective.”
Onondaga County has the highest rate of opioid overdose deaths among Central New York counties.
The rate in Onondaga County is 27.1 per 100,000 population compared to 16.7 per 100,000 in NYS
excluding NYC.
Ryan McMahon, Chairman of the Onondaga County Legislature, said, “Combating the opioid epidemic
has been a main priority of the County Legislature and this lawsuit is another step towards holding
accountable the responsible parties. Whether allocating funds for our health department or supporting
the work of our other community partners, the Legislature remains committed to providing the resources
necessary to bring an end to this crisis.”
For resources related to opioid and heroin addiction visit https://combatheroin.ny.gov/. For more
information about Onondaga County’s three-pronged approach for combating opioid and heroin
addiction visit https://www.ongov.net/health/opioids/.