No, it's not the weather – which was a whole 14° F in Lansing as I was writing this.
The Governor talked about it in her State of the State address, state legislators are talking about it, it’s in the newspapers and on TV – even the U.S. Supreme Court has been talking about it.
And what is it?
Drugs, and not just any drugs – FDA approved drugs. Why?
Michigan has an unprecedented law that prevents residents harmed by dangerous drugs from gaining access to the civil justice system, which has been devastating for Michiganders while failing to accomplish any promised economic benefits for the state concludes a new report, A Tragic Blunder: Michigan’s Drug Industry Immunity Law, released today by the Center for Justice & Democracy.
According to the report, since the law went into effect in 1996, numerous unsafe drugs have been marketed with approval by the Food and Drug Administration that have killed or injured Michigan residents. Unlike victims in any other state in the country, Michigan residents are barred from seeking compensation for these deaths or injuries. Meanwhile, contrary to what the law’s proponents promised, thousands of good paying jobs in the pharmaceutical industry have left the state.
There is real support for this law to be repealed. The House of Representatives passed repeal legislation last year, but the bill has been stalled in the Senate. A petition to get the Senate talking about it began circulating on Tuesday.
So, perhaps the Senate ought to take a look at the CJ&D report, in case they are only hearing what the drug lobbyists are telling them?
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