This website’s purpose is to inform about the opioid epidemic, Virginia’s fight against it, and the on-going fight to bring justice and healing to the community.
“Under the Sackler’s leadership, Purdue invented, manufactured, and aggressively marketed opioid products for decades, fueling waves of addiction and overdose deaths across the country.” [1] In Virginia: 32.5 opioid prescriptions were written for every 100 people in 2023. [2]
Virginia Tech’s public health program, within the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, along with the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority, are working to reduce opioid abuse. Kathy Hosig helps lead this program. “What we hope to do is to reduce substance misuse and addiction across the state, and we try to go to areas that are most affected,” Hosig tells Digital Journal. “The idea is that through disseminating evidence-based prevention materials, that we prevent substance misuse and addiction so that we don’t have the adverse outcomes, and then we don’t need so much treatment and recovery.” [3]
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, along with other states, launched a lawsuit against Purdue that recently, in 2025 was settled. The states will receive a settlement of $7.4 billion to be paid over the next 15 years. Virginia will receive $107.4 million of that. This settlement also ends the Sackler’s control of Purdue and bar them from selling opioids in the U.S. “The fight to secure this monumental settlement has been long and hard fought, but my office never gave up,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. [1]
Citations
1.Kenney, Shaun. “January 23, 2025 - Attorney General Miyares Secures $7.4 Billion from Purdue Pharma, Sackler Family for Fueling the Opioid Crisis.” State.va.us, January 23, 2025. https://www.oag.state.va.us/media-center/news-releases/2831-january-23-2025-attorney-general-miyares-secures-7-4-billion-from-purdue-pharma-sackler-family-for-fueling-the-opioid-crisis.
2.Voices for Non-Opioid Choices. “Virginia - NonOpioidChoices.” NonOpioidChoices, October 8, 2025.
https://nonopioidchoices.org/states/virginia/.
3.Sandle, Tim. “Addressing the US Opioid Crisis: Focusing on Virginia.” Digital Journal. May 6, 2025. https://www.digitaljournal.com/life/addressing-the-us-opioid-crisis-focusing-on-virginia/article.