LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky's new attorney general filed a lawsuit on Monday against one of the largest grocery store chains in the country over their alleged role in the opioid crisis.
According to a news release, Attorney General Russell Coleman is suing Kroger for its role in the opioid crisis that has plagued America, claiming it's responsible for more than 11% of opioid pills dispensed in the Commonwealth.
The lawsuit claims Kroger bought more than 4 billion morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs), or roughly 444 million opioid doses, and distributed almost 194 million hydrocodone pills between 2006-2019. It also claims Kroger didn't set up a monitoring system to "stop suspicious opioid orders."
“For more than a decade, Kroger flooded Kentucky with an almost unthinkable number of opioid pills that directly led to addiction, pain and death,” Coleman said. “Kroger, which families have trusted for so long, knowingly made these dangerous and highly addictive substances all too accessible. Worst of all, Kroger never created a formal system, a training or even a set of guidelines to report suspicious activity or abuse. The scourge of addiction that has plowed through graduating classes, work forces and entire families is the devastating result.”
The AG also said Kroger did not report "a single suspicious prescription" to the Commonwealth between 2007-2014.
WHAS11 News reached out to Kroger for comment. The company did not immediately respond.
Kroger has settled an opioid lawsuit in the past. In September 2023, the grocery chain agreed to pay up to $1.4 billion over the course of 11 years. The amount includes up to $1.2 billion for state and local governments where it operates, $36 million to Native American tribes and about $177 million to cover lawyer fees and costs.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced last year that Kentucky saw a decline in overdose deaths in 2022. It was the first decline in four years, but overdose fatalities in Kentucky surpassed 2,000 again that year, according to the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center.
If you or someone you know is struggling with an opioid addiction, a list of treatment centers can be found here.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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