By: Assemblyman Devon J. Mathis
Before being elected to serve in the California State Assembly, I served two tours in Iraq with the United States Army. Upon returning home from war with a Purple Heart, I, unfortunately, struggled with many of the same mental health challenges that impact Veterans across the United States. Not surprisingly, I was aggressively prescribed a cocktail of opioids and other sedatives. I effectively traded my firearm for a pillbox and was sent on my merry way. Recently, I learned there were nefarious reasons behind what has become the opioid epidemic, reasons deeply mired in greed.
The opioid epidemic is no longer avoidable in this country, as we see Narcan billboards and constant news articles about fatal opioid overdoses almost every day. But what was the intention behind large pharmaceutical companies planning and executing the epidemic affecting Californians? Profit. This is unacceptable to me and our Veteran community, we did not go to war for this!
There is no end in sight. Although some companies, such as Purdue Pharma, have filed for bankruptcy since getting hit with lawsuits, the large consulting firm heavily behind the scenes has not. The consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, is responsible for the aggressive sales tactics that have hooked millions of Americans to opioids, including many of my fellow Soldiers returning from war. At war, we know who our enemy is. Back here at home, we didn’t expect our enemy to be some of our own… we are outraged that a firm like McKinsey & Company has turned on those who protected their freedom for profits.
The Wall Street Journal recently published a report revealing how selfish pharmaceutical companies have targeted one specific group: American Veterans. After putting our lives on the line and spending years on the battlefield, war Veterans return home having to adjust to both physical and mental hardships. Many of us Veterans rely on the healthcare system, including the Veterans Administration (VA), for help, yet we have been prescribed addictive opioid medication to cope with the aftermath of war.
Dating back to 2003, law enforcement, government agencies and regulators were aware of the effects of opioids and warned about what could become of the future due to the aggressive sales tactics opioid producers were taking. The main culprit of these odious tactics was McKinsey & Company, which held many of the contracts with opioid-producing companies in America. McKinsey had such an influence on the market, that at one point, 9 out of every 10 opioid prescriptions in the United States were manufactured by their clients.
The report by the Wall Street Journal found that within those vulnerable target populations was the VA. According to the documents, McKinsey “advised opioid companies including Purdue Pharma LP and Endo International PLC on how to increase sales to the VA through both new and existing channels. Meanwhile, McKinsey earned at least $117 million consulting for the VA, primarily on matters related to healthcare services for Veterans, according to government records.”
The greed of companies such as McKinsey affects communities like ours in California where opioid-related deaths spiked 121% between 2019-2021. Further, the State of California continues to contract with McKinsey in agencies throughout our government; including Health and Human Services, Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Social Services, and more. We are, unabashedly, paying the same companies that wrote the playbook of how best to get American Veterans addicted to opioids.
We finally have proof that the greed fueling this epidemic is no longer a theory. It is now prevalent that billions of taxpayer dollars from the Pentagon and the Department of Veteran Affairs are exploited every year because selfish companies want their pharmaceutical clients to profit off the Veteran population.
Fortunately, Americans are fighting back along with elected representatives who are assisting in leading the fight. Alongside many of my colleagues, we have sought to hold drug peddlers accountable, seeking to increase criminal penalties for those who drive this poison into our communities. That fervor should be extended to those who aid and abet companies to push opioids in our community, including McKinsey.
My fight began 20 years ago in Iraq and it continues today. California’s elected leaders and my colleagues must come together to send the message that McKinsey and any other greedy companies will be held accountable for exploiting our Veterans for profit and never collect another Californian tax dollar. We have high standards for our Military, making us the greatest in the world. Our mission is not accomplished until big Pharma and companies like McKinsey are held to the same standard of accountability our Military holds on ourselves.
Republican Devon Mathis of Visalia represents the 33rd District in the state Assembly.