Join Professors Saul Levmore and Emily Underwood for a virtual roundtable discussion on The Opioid Epidemic: Who’s to Blame?

Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, filed for bankruptcy in the summer of 2021 in the face of thousands of lawsuits for its role in the opioid epidemic. It entered into a bankruptcy settlement agreement with those plaintiffs that shielded the Sackler Family, longtime owners of Purdue Pharma, from personal liability. On December 17, a judge vacated that settlement because of its personal protection for the Sacklers. That raises the question - who should be held responsible for the epidemic, and who didn’t do enough to prevent it? The FDA? The Sacklers? Purdue? Individual doctors and pharmacists? We’ll discuss during this roundtable. 

Limited space is available for this event. Sign up below and you will receive an email if you are confirmed to attend.

The Martha C. Nussbaum Student Roundtables support the University of Chicago’s longstanding commitment to free expression and open discourse. The roundtables were endowed by Professor Nussbaum in 2019 with the intent of bringing together students and faculty with diverse, and often disparate ideological viewpoints in a respectful discussion. Students are encouraged to engage and confront ideas that may be different from their own with a spirit of civil and vigorous debate.  

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This convening is open to all invitees who are compliant with UChicago vaccination requirements and, because of ongoing health risks, particularly to the unvaccinated, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) appropriate to their vaccination status as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures.