Insys Therapeutics Controversy: Pharma Company In Trouble For Illegally Pushing The Addictive Opiate Fentanyl Is Now Bankrolling Opposition To Marijuana Legalization

Insys Therapeutics has gotten in trouble for illegally pushing the powerful opiate fentanyl, but the Arizona-based company is now wading into a different kind of controversy — cutting a big check to stop marijuana legalization in the state.

The company made headlines by donating $500,000 to a group called Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, which is aiming to defeat Proposition 205, a measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use. That has many marijuana rights groups up in arms and pointing to Insys Therapeutics as an example of the hypocrisy of the pharmaceutical industry when it comes to marijuana use.

The donation to the anti-legalization group was seen as a way for Insys Therapeutics to protect its profits, as marijuana is considered a low-cost and effective alternative to opiate treatments while also being less addictive. J.P. Holyoak, chairman of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, noted that Insys Therapeutics has only one product — a fentanyl spray called Subsys.

“They want to be able to push their far more addictive, far more harmful and far more dangerous opioid drugs,” he told the Arizona Capitol Times.

Insys Therapeutics isn't here to help anyone https://t.co/xCnbfqOUmM

— Chivo Rodriguez (@ChivoTweets) September 21, 2016

Officially, Insys Therapeutics said it opposes the effort to legalize marijuana because the initiative “fails to protect the safety of Arizona’s citizens, and particularly its children.” The company added that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved marijuana use for any treatments, the Arizona Capitol Times added.

“We believe that all available medicines should meet the clinical standards set by the FDA,” the statement says.

Many have already attacked Insys Therapeutics for its opposition to marijuana legalization. The site Legal Reader noted that the company has been pumping big money into keeping the largely safe marijuana illegal while at the same time pushing what has become one of the most powerful — and most dangerous — opiates.

Insys Therapeutics claims their donation was made out of concern over the safety of marijuana, stating their primary goal is to protect society’s overall health and well-being. That’s pretty interesting considering the company itself is currently under state and federal investigation in relation to its marketing tactics. Six states have already investigated the company’s sales practices, with the state of Illinois having sued Insys in August of 2016 for allegedly promoting the drug to doctors for uses other than those approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Insys Therapeutics has gotten into trouble for its own practices before, Green Rush Daily noted. The company has been under investigation for “illegally pushing fentanyl for uses it’s not approved for,” the report claimed.

Earlier this year, a former sales manager for Insys Therapeutics pleaded guilty to fraud after admitting that she gave kickbacks to doctors who would prescribe fentanyl to patients, even for uses they weren’t approved for under FDA guidelines.

“I’ve been investigating drug cases for about 15 years now, and the conduct that we saw, in this case, was among the most unconscionable that I’ve seen,” Oregon Assistant Attorney General David Hart told Green Rush Daily. “There was harm done to patients on a level I’m not used to seeing.”

While the controversy surrounding Insys Therapeutics and its opposition to marijuana legalization continues to grow, fentanyl itself is increasingly in the spotlight. Use of the opiate has skyrocketed in popularity, often being used in concert with heroin to create a potent and often deadly illegal combination.

Fentanyl has been blamed for a spate of overdoses, including seven people who died around Cleveland in less than a day this weekend.

“This cluster of deaths is deeply concerning,” Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Thomas Gilson said (via Cleveland.com). “Although there is no clear link between the individuals, this number clearly raises the possibility of a very deadly drug in our community.”

Cuyahoga County is on pace for more than 500 deaths this year from heroin, fentanyl, or some combination of them, Cleveland.com reported.

Despite the efforts of Insys Therapeutics to oppose marijuana legalization in Arizona, the voters may have other plans. Polling has shown Prop 205 with deep support, including a recent Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll that showed 50 percent of voters support the proposition, while only 40 percent oppose it.

[Featured Image by Gillian Flaccus/AP Images]