There is no denying that the country is gripped by the opioid crisis. It seems to touch everyone no matter the age, income level, education, race or location. Many lives have been lost to these drugs, and there is constant work trying to help those addicted and prevent people from becoming addicted. While Minnesota lawmakers are trying to find ways to stop this crisis, there is starting to be a focus on who is to blame for starting the situation.

While it would be difficult to pinpoint an exact moment of the start of the opioid crisis, many experts believe that blame lies solely with pharmaceutical companies, according to U.S. News and World Report. Since this crisis is at the forefront of many minds, there has been a lot of research into how it started.

The belief is that in the 1990s, pharmaceutical companies made the decision to start pushing opioid drugs. Allegedly, through deceptive means, these companies pushed prescription opioids. This only added to an already serious issue with the street drug heroin.

Since heroin is cheaper and easier to get than prescription drugs, once patients became addicted, they turned to it. Currently, fentanyl is becoming more accessible and leading to deaths across the country. This all has snowballed into the crisis that is garnering so much attention.

Legal action taking place right now is in hopes to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for their role in the crisis. The money won from such lawsuits will help local areas to pay for treatment and prevention measures to help get this crisis under control and save lives. This information is for education and is not legal advice.