OREANDA-NEWS. Walmart, which owns the largest department store chain, has filed a lawsuit against the US authorities, accusing them of trying to absolve itself from part of the responsibility for the so-called opioid crisis in the country, shifting it to business.

In a lawsuit filed in a Texas court, the US Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration are listed as defendants. Walmart lawyers argue that mistakes of these departments led to the fact that in the USA there has been a significant increase in the number of people who, due to the regular taking of various medications, became dependent on them. The US authorities intend to exact large fines from Walmart for the purchase of these drugs in its retail outlets.

About 2 thousand lawsuits were previously filed against the American pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma by the affected Americans – victims of the opioid crisis. The plaintiffs claim the drug OxyContin is addictive, but the buyers were unaware of it. In total, at least 400 thousand people have become aggrieved because of the opioid crisis in the United States over the past 20 years.