Amid opioid epidemic, drug executives made fun of West Virginians, called them "pillbillies"

[Nevilledog]

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Eric Eyre
@EricEyre
Breaking news: As opioid overdose deaths surged in Appalachia, drug firm execs circulated multiple emails making fun of West Virginia “pillbillies”

Amid opioid epidemic, drug executives made fun of West Virginians
At the height of West Virginia’s opioid epidemic, executives at AmerisourceBergen exchanged emails making light of the crisis.
mountainstatespotlight.org
10:46 AM · May 13, 2021

https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2021/05/13/opioid-company-executives-made-fun-of-west-virginians/

At the height of West Virginia’s opioid epidemic, executives at a leading drug distributor exchanged emails making light of the crisis.

The emails were put forth by Cabell County attorney Paul Farrell Jr. during trial at U.S. District Court in Charleston. The trial pits the county and the city of Huntington against the nation’s three largest drug distributors, who they argue fueled the overdose crisis.

In one, shared on Thursday, AmerisourceBergen executive Chris Zimmerman shared a lyrical parody of the theme song for “The Beverly Hillbillies,” making fun of “a poor mountaineer” who purchased pills at a “cash ‘n carry” pain clinic.

Another was titled “OxyContinVille” and included a parody of a Jimmy Buffett song that described driving from Kentucky to buy pills.

In a third email, a member of Zimmerman’s team wrote, “One of the hillbilly’s must have learned how to read ” in response to an email detailing Kentucky’s new opioid regulations.

*snip*

[I_UndergroundPanther]

1. Rich CEOs and thier executives more often than not

Are psychopaths. Getting off on others suffering.

All these fuckers need to have thier company charter taken away and to be locked up forever.


But if I had my way I d force feed them oxy contin until they got addicted to it then drop them into the wilderness alone far from anybody and have them go through withdrawal without any help. If they survive they get a choice life in prison or to overdose to death.

And that still wouldn't be enough justice IMHO.

[East-A-Squared]

2. This was mentioned in the new HBO documentary "Crime Of The Century."

https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/the-crime-of-the-century