Local pharma company reports opioid-related deaths to FDA; How N.J.'s plan to legalize weed stands out | Morning Newsletter
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The Morning Newsletter
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As the opioid crisis continues, lawsuits are being filed across the country against opioid makers and distributors. Recent suits has revealed important information about a Philly-area pharmaceutical company and how the industry reports adverse effects. We’ve got the details for you this morning. In a very different drug story, we’ve taken a dive into New Jersey’s plan to legalize marijuana and why it sets itself apart from the plans of other states that have led the way, in ways advocates are and are not happy about.
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— Aubrey Nagle (@aubsn, morningnewsletter@philly.com)
Roughly 2,000 lawsuits against opioid makers and distributors are prying information loose about their role in the opioid epidemic.
That includes the revelation that Endo Pharmaceuticals, which has its U.S. headquarters in Malvern, reported more than 20,000 deaths associated with an opioid, Opana, to the FDA last year.
The deaths span roughly two decades and reports don’t necessarily causally link the product and the outcome. But they do highlight shortcomings of how the U.S. tracks safety risks for FDA-approved drugs.
New Jersey’s plan to legalize marijuana is looking quite different than those of the 10 states that have led the way. For one thing, it aims to correct racial and social injustices of the “War on Drugs.”
But in another deviation from most of the other legal weed states, the plan won’t allow for home cultivation. And the omission has infuriated cannabis activists.
Meanwhile, the dominant medical marijuana chain in Pennsylvania could soon be one of the largest industry retailers in the U.S. It plans to acquire grow operations in Reading and New Jersey.
In Philly’s upcoming primary election (mark your calendars: it’s May 21) more candidates are running for City Council than in any year since 1979.
And about one third of them are younger than 40, notable because Council currently has no member younger than 45. If elected, they’d bring a younger voice bring to city government.
A new study paints a more precarious picture for the city’s number of millennial residents. If job growth doesn’t keep up, it says, they’ll go elsewhere.
What you need to know today
In 2016, organizations advocating for criminal justice reform helped get Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner elected. Now they have their eyes on swinging Philly’s judicial elections left.
Attorney General William Barr testified Tuesday that he wouldn’t provide an unredacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report to Congress but he expects to release a redacted version “within a week.”
Some Philly-area taxpayers have found this year’s tax refunds to be unexpectedly small, which has meant rejiggering budgets and giving up big purchases.
Remember how the bridge connecting Sea Isle City and Avalon was supposed to reopen next month after repairs? Well, that’s no longer the case.
A mistrial was declared Tuesday in the case of the Delaware man who drunkenly snapped the finger off an ancient Chinese terracotta warrior statue at the Franklin Institute in 2017.
It wasn’t a great Tuesday for Philly sports. The Sixers got blown out by the Heat as they rest up for the playoffs and the Phillies blew a big lead in a loss to the Nationals.
Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly
Never enough cherry blossom photos. Thanks for this one, @shaynemalcolm.
Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we’ll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!
That’s Interesting
Hold onto your hats, henny. Netflix’s Queer Eye might be coming to Philly. Can you believe???
The Eagles will waste no time facing former QB Nick Foles and the Jaguars according to the just-released NFL preseason schedule. The Birds will have a new QB with them, too.
What if you could go to a bar ... for babies? That’s what Fishtown’s latest drinkery is going for, complete with an indoor playground plus booze for mom and dad.
West Philly elementary school students now know learning isn’t classroom-bound thanks to trips to Kenya and China that expand their minds and their confidence.
Japanese food is increasingly popular in Philadelphia. Get to know the scene with a guide to the city’s sushi, ramen, and more.
The Cosmo DiNardo killings of four young men in Bucks County in July 2017 are getting the true-crime treatment with a new TV special.
Opinions
“But it’s clear, if numbingly unsurprising, that those who will profit from Mariner East ... had direct access to Pennsylvania government while the everyday citizens of Chester and Delaware counties getting a pipeline plopped down in their backyards did not.” — Columnist Will Bunch on why Pennsylvania needs to pull the plug on the Mariner East pipeline.
Good teachers are needed now more than ever as Pennsylvania has an educator shortage, and low pay is contributing to the problem, writes Reading School District teacher Luis Vanderhorst.
Many Americans envied New Zealand’s quick action on gun control following the mosque massacres last month, but New Zealand could learn one thing from America, too: how to discuss race, writes University of Pennsylvania student and Inquirer intern Lucy Hu.
What we’re reading
The Philadelphia Tribune has checked in with Lincoln University, the historically black college in Chester County, and found good news: the small school is on the up and up.
Are you constantly throwing out handbills and fliers left on your stoop? You’re certainly not alone. WHYY reports that neighbors are organizing to rid their blocks of the scourge.
Starbucks wants to open a location in Fishtown and the neighborhood’s residents are not all pleased. Philadelphia Magazine has a rundown of the drama.
Winter is coming (again) and the Washington Post is preparing for Game of Thrones’ return with an illustrated guide to all the deaths in the show. Don’t keep this one to yourself.
Attention math lovers: Wired’s explanation of how everything from crickets to neurons become synchronized will keep you occupied for a while today. It’s a deep dive.
A Daily Dose of | The UpSide
A Bucks County non-profit is helping adult immigrants and refugees learn English, computer skills, and citizenship. And they do it all for free.