September 26, 2023 • 12 mins
Bryan Hubbard is the chair of the Kentucky Opiod Abatement Commission and he details how the state is using it's settlement from big pharma to help state residents overcome the scourge of opiod addiction.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Here with News Radio eight forty whaas Terry miners here, so glad to
make your electronic acquaintance day after dayafter day. I told you about a
couple of things we're going to getto on the broadcast. But although we
got to talk on a subject herethat is the scourge, one of the
scourges of humanity, and that's drugabuse and the inn a studio with me
(00:21):
is Brian Hubbard, who's chair andexecutive director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory
Commission. What's nice to see you, brother. It's a pleasure to meet
you, Terry. Thank you forhen You've got a big job ahead of
you in this commonwealth. Well,we're very fortunate to have an Attorney General
in the form of Daniel Cameron,who has demonstrated superlative leadership in terms of
(00:44):
secure in eight hundred and forty twomillion dollars that'll be coming to this status
compensation by opioid manufacturers and distributors forthe tremendous damage done here by the products
that they manufactured, which were engineeredto create widespread addiction across our state,
and it has been playing out withgreat carnage since nineteen ninety six. I'd
(01:06):
say so. I just watched thatNetflix series Painkiller, mind boggling. It's
about the Cycler family, Perdue Pharma, the whole breakdown of that issue.
But that predates Daniel Cameron as AttorneyGeneral. Wasn't that going back to like
Jack Conway or something. Didn't weget a like a paltry sum out of
that? It seems like I rememberwe got a we got a little kind
(01:27):
of a dropping a bucket settlement outof a Cycler family. But I just
watched this thing on Netflix, andthe amount of money they were asked to
pay seemed like we would have gottena larger chunk of that. Well,
you have correctly identified the genesis ofthis problem, which was Perdue Pharma and
Oxyconton and burying mind that, forat least a decade, Perdue Pharma netted
(01:52):
one hundred million dollars a month sellan oxyconton, a product that they detonated
and the mountains, and in particularin East nineteen ninety six, and in
December of twenty fifteen this state,I saw a settlement from Purdue Pharma and
the breath taken amount of twenty fourmillion dollars. How is it that they
(02:13):
paid out billions of dollars. There'sfifty United States and we wind up with
twenty four million dollars. That wouldbe a question that would need to be
asked of the former Attorney general whohandled that settlement negotiation. But now you
tell me there's eight hundred and fortymillion dollars that's coming in from other drug
companies. That is correct. Duringthe years that essentially fell between two thousand
(02:38):
and two nineteen, under the AttorneyGeneral Cameron's predecessor, there were about a
dozen lawsuits filed in individual counties againstopioid manufacturers and distributors. There was one
problem with that strategy. When youfile a suit in state court and you
have fifty states that have about threethousand individual counties that are also so suing,
(03:00):
you place yourself at great strategic disadvantagebecause of the prospect that the distributors
and manufacturers would declare bankruptcy protection andput you in federal court where your county
base liabilities could be discharged. AttorneyGeneral Cameron had the wisdom to see the
folly of the prior strategy, andby virtue of his decision making, he
(03:22):
joined a multi state litigation process whichassured that this state would be a coequal
participant in the distribution of opioid settlementdollars which are now standing at eight hundred
and forty two million dollars over thenext fifteen years, and we will see
those moneys coming in and a fiftyfifty split between our cities and counties and
then the Commission that I have theprivilege of serving on between now and twenty
(03:46):
thirty eight. So, mister Hubbard, what all tools do we have in
our toolbox to slow the role ofwhat opioid and other drugs are doing to
crush families. Well, we haveto take a multi faceted approach, and
due to the leadership of a lotof hard working, dedicated humanitarians across this
(04:08):
state, we have now arrived ata point where there is essentially a treatment
bed for every individual who requires acutecare for their opioid dependency issues. We
have spent billions of dollars developing thatinfrastructure where we are lacking our services that
are aimed at youth based prevention,particularly youth based prevention that will connect children
(04:31):
whose families and communities have been devastatedby this epidemic to sanctuary, stability,
and some confirmation of their spirituality isexpressed through their personal divinity. We have
also got to work on removing asmany barriers as we possibly can from those
who are trying to attain long term, durable recovery, and that means that
(04:54):
we resource organizations that connect people toany and all opportunities that are necessary to
rebuild their lives from the ground up. Resources related to transportation, housing,
education, clothing, stable living environmentsthat reorient them to new people, places
and things. Yeah, the newpeople's an issue because if you go right
(05:15):
back into the tainted pool of friendswho are using, people can pull right
back into it. That is correct. You have to have a complete reorientation
of the individual's reality so that theycan get a brand new, fresh start
without old pathologies haunting them along theway. It seems like a massive job
(05:38):
and it's hard. You know,it's head scratching for a lot of people
who don't have drug issues that they'relike, why can't you just quit,
And it's like, the hell,it's not that easy. It begins with
a neurochemical brain entry that is producedby opioid dependence. The introduction of the
opioid shuts down the brain's organic productionof dopamine and serotonin, which are your
(06:00):
survivochemicals. There's like blockades to keepthose from bouncing around the way they should.
That's exactly right. The opioids blockthe opioid receptors are blocked. The
individual cannot organically produce dopamine and serotonin. And these are the chemicals that drive
you to have a drink of waterwhen you're about to thirst to death.
These are the things that cause youto want to eat when you're about to
starve to death. So when thebrain is neurochemically injured by the opioid,
(06:24):
the individual will exhibit what appears tobe just complete moral depravity and madness that
is in fact a neurochemical brain injury, which drives them to seek the opioid
because it overrides the desire for eventhe most basic behaviors associated with survival and
sends you right back down the badpath. You got it. Unless you
retrain someone and lead them to adifferent windshield of life, you have to
(06:50):
medically treat them. You have tounderstand the nature of the problem, and
we've got to understand that this isnot an issue of moral failure. It's
an issue of biological compulsion that hasbeen built into the creation of the opioid
that is designed to habituate. Andthat is why we say this is the
gravest humanitarian catastrophe, engineered humanitarian catastropheto befall this state since the end of
(07:15):
the nineteenth century. Wow. Yeah, I mean that series that I just
saw was mind boggling. I mean, just what you said that the Cycler
family engineered the opioid OxyContin to dojust what you just described, to just
(07:39):
turn people into depraved leeches for thesame behavior over and over again. It
was designed to neurochemically hijack the brain'sneurochemical operation, to create as much habituation
by the individual who would take themedication as possible, and thereby create as
much of recurring revenue for a editorycommercial interests in the name of Purdue Pharma
(08:03):
as possible. You're listening to BrianHubbardy's chair and executive director of the Kentucky
Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, and thenyou have a get together coming up in
Lexington in early October eight through tenth. Tell me about that for the very
first time there will be a statewidesymposium that is exclusively dedicated to developing strategies
(08:24):
and addressing the current realities of theopioid epidemic. We've been talking about this
for now two decades, but thesad and tragic reality is is that we
are much closer to the beginning ofthis epidemic than we are to the end,
based on the number of overdose desksthat we have, based on the
introduction of fentnyl into the street supplyof every substance that is available, and
(08:48):
the lethality of those results, particularlyhere in Jefferson County. For the very
first time, in twenty twenty one, death rates from opioids among African American
Kentucky's exceeded of White Kentuckians. Thatis a very grim milestone which illustrates that
this is not an US problem.This is not an end problem. This
is a weed problem that we haveto tackle as a unified state that seeks
(09:13):
to fight this war, and itis a war for each other instead of
on each other. The Opioid Symposiumin Lexington at the Conventions Griffin Gate.
The Griffin Gate is where there willbe a reception on the eighth, but
The actual conference itself on the ninthand tenth will be at the Central Bank
Center that is attached to Rupperina.Gotcha. This symposium is bringing together statewide
(09:35):
leaders who are elected officials. Theyare individuals who are in the trenches fighting
it out against the opioid epidemic asservice providers and activists. We will have
keynote speaker mister Sam Keyons to kickus off on the morning of the ninth.
There are going to be any numberof breakout sessions for which continuing education
credits are available for judges, lawyers, nurses, social workers, and any
(10:00):
other practitioners who are engaged in thefight against the epidemic. And tickets are
selling fast. We are getting veryclose to the event. So if an
individual goes to Kentucky Opioid Symposium dotorg, they are able to purchase those
tickets and attend what's going to bea very special event with a lot of
diversity of perspectives and participants three daysof it. Yes, sir, okay,
(10:24):
I can hear the passion and whatyou're saying, and the job is
just massive. That's ahead of us. So this pill mill business we were
dealing with a long time ago,the tributary is coming off that are still
horrific, those parents to children tochildren. We have a generationally compounding epidemic
(10:45):
on our hands, and the foundationthat was laid by Perdue Pharma has been
exacerbated by what we would describe asa fentnel highway that goes straight from the
communist regime which occupies the territory ofChina, straight into country south of our
border where cartels operate as their businesspartnership, and fentnyl across this country into
(11:11):
every city, town and county thatwe have. It is invisible, it
is lethal, and it continues towreak havoc on our whole society. Mister
Hubbard, I could talk to youall day. I'm more out of time,
but I appreciate the work you're puttingin. Thank you for your kindness
of having us here. And it'sa pleasure to mat Terry Brian Hubbard.
(11:33):
He's chair and executive director of KentuckyOpioid Abateman Advisory Commission, working under Attorney
General Daniel Cameron. Yes, sir, And the symposium comes up October eighth
through tenth. Lexington, Mary I. Griffinate and the Central Bank Center adjacent
to rapp Arena and go to KentuckyOpioid Symposium dot org. Yes, sir,
(11:54):
hey see my memories. Not thatbad. Great talking to you,
brother, Thank you, Terry.Keep up the fight, brother, We're
losing way too many young brains andpeople of all ages. Thank you, sir,
Here with News Radio eight forty whaas Terry miners here, so glad to
make your electronic acquaintance day after dayafter day. I told you about a
couple of things we're going to getto on the broadcast. But although we
got to talk on a subject herethat is the scourge, one of the
scourges of humanity, and that's drugabuse and the inn a studio with me
(00:21):
is Brian Hubbard, who's chair andexecutive director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory
Commission. What's nice to see you, brother. It's a pleasure to meet
you, Terry. Thank you forhen You've got a big job ahead of
you in this commonwealth. Well,we're very fortunate to have an Attorney General
in the form of Daniel Cameron,who has demonstrated superlative leadership in terms of
(00:44):
secure in eight hundred and forty twomillion dollars that'll be coming to this status
compensation by opioid manufacturers and distributors forthe tremendous damage done here by the products
that they manufactured, which were engineeredto create widespread addiction across our state,
and it has been playing out withgreat carnage since nineteen ninety six. I'd
(01:06):
say so. I just watched thatNetflix series Painkiller, mind boggling. It's
about the Cycler family, Perdue Pharma, the whole breakdown of that issue.
But that predates Daniel Cameron as AttorneyGeneral. Wasn't that going back to like
Jack Conway or something. Didn't weget a like a paltry sum out of
that? It seems like I rememberwe got a we got a little kind
(01:27):
of a dropping a bucket settlement outof a Cycler family. But I just
watched this thing on Netflix, andthe amount of money they were asked to
pay seemed like we would have gottena larger chunk of that. Well,
you have correctly identified the genesis ofthis problem, which was Perdue Pharma and
Oxyconton and burying mind that, forat least a decade, Perdue Pharma netted
(01:52):
one hundred million dollars a month sellan oxyconton, a product that they detonated
and the mountains, and in particularin East nineteen ninety six, and in
December of twenty fifteen this state,I saw a settlement from Purdue Pharma and
the breath taken amount of twenty fourmillion dollars. How is it that they
(02:13):
paid out billions of dollars. There'sfifty United States and we wind up with
twenty four million dollars. That wouldbe a question that would need to be
asked of the former Attorney general whohandled that settlement negotiation. But now you
tell me there's eight hundred and fortymillion dollars that's coming in from other drug
companies. That is correct. Duringthe years that essentially fell between two thousand
(02:38):
and two nineteen, under the AttorneyGeneral Cameron's predecessor, there were about a
dozen lawsuits filed in individual counties againstopioid manufacturers and distributors. There was one
problem with that strategy. When youfile a suit in state court and you
have fifty states that have about threethousand individual counties that are also so suing,
(03:00):
you place yourself at great strategic disadvantagebecause of the prospect that the distributors
and manufacturers would declare bankruptcy protection andput you in federal court where your county
base liabilities could be discharged. AttorneyGeneral Cameron had the wisdom to see the
folly of the prior strategy, andby virtue of his decision making, he
(03:22):
joined a multi state litigation process whichassured that this state would be a coequal
participant in the distribution of opioid settlementdollars which are now standing at eight hundred
and forty two million dollars over thenext fifteen years, and we will see
those moneys coming in and a fiftyfifty split between our cities and counties and
then the Commission that I have theprivilege of serving on between now and twenty
(03:46):
thirty eight. So, mister Hubbard, what all tools do we have in
our toolbox to slow the role ofwhat opioid and other drugs are doing to
crush families. Well, we haveto take a multi faceted approach, and
due to the leadership of a lotof hard working, dedicated humanitarians across this
(04:08):
state, we have now arrived ata point where there is essentially a treatment
bed for every individual who requires acutecare for their opioid dependency issues. We
have spent billions of dollars developing thatinfrastructure where we are lacking our services that
are aimed at youth based prevention,particularly youth based prevention that will connect children
(04:31):
whose families and communities have been devastatedby this epidemic to sanctuary, stability,
and some confirmation of their spirituality isexpressed through their personal divinity. We have
also got to work on removing asmany barriers as we possibly can from those
who are trying to attain long term, durable recovery, and that means that
(04:54):
we resource organizations that connect people toany and all opportunities that are necessary to
rebuild their lives from the ground up. Resources related to transportation, housing,
education, clothing, stable living environmentsthat reorient them to new people, places
and things. Yeah, the newpeople's an issue because if you go right
(05:15):
back into the tainted pool of friendswho are using, people can pull right
back into it. That is correct. You have to have a complete reorientation
of the individual's reality so that theycan get a brand new, fresh start
without old pathologies haunting them along theway. It seems like a massive job
(05:38):
and it's hard. You know,it's head scratching for a lot of people
who don't have drug issues that they'relike, why can't you just quit,
And it's like, the hell,it's not that easy. It begins with
a neurochemical brain entry that is producedby opioid dependence. The introduction of the
opioid shuts down the brain's organic productionof dopamine and serotonin, which are your
(06:00):
survivochemicals. There's like blockades to keepthose from bouncing around the way they should.
That's exactly right. The opioids blockthe opioid receptors are blocked. The
individual cannot organically produce dopamine and serotonin. And these are the chemicals that drive
you to have a drink of waterwhen you're about to thirst to death.
These are the things that cause youto want to eat when you're about to
starve to death. So when thebrain is neurochemically injured by the opioid,
(06:24):
the individual will exhibit what appears tobe just complete moral depravity and madness that
is in fact a neurochemical brain injury, which drives them to seek the opioid
because it overrides the desire for eventhe most basic behaviors associated with survival and
sends you right back down the badpath. You got it. Unless you
retrain someone and lead them to adifferent windshield of life, you have to
(06:50):
medically treat them. You have tounderstand the nature of the problem, and
we've got to understand that this isnot an issue of moral failure. It's
an issue of biological compulsion that hasbeen built into the creation of the opioid
that is designed to habituate. Andthat is why we say this is the
gravest humanitarian catastrophe, engineered humanitarian catastropheto befall this state since the end of
(07:15):
the nineteenth century. Wow. Yeah, I mean that series that I just
saw was mind boggling. I mean, just what you said that the Cycler
family engineered the opioid OxyContin to dojust what you just described, to just
(07:39):
turn people into depraved leeches for thesame behavior over and over again. It
was designed to neurochemically hijack the brain'sneurochemical operation, to create as much habituation
by the individual who would take themedication as possible, and thereby create as
much of recurring revenue for a editorycommercial interests in the name of Purdue Pharma
(08:03):
as possible. You're listening to BrianHubbardy's chair and executive director of the Kentucky
Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, and thenyou have a get together coming up in
Lexington in early October eight through tenth. Tell me about that for the very
first time there will be a statewidesymposium that is exclusively dedicated to developing strategies
(08:24):
and addressing the current realities of theopioid epidemic. We've been talking about this
for now two decades, but thesad and tragic reality is is that we
are much closer to the beginning ofthis epidemic than we are to the end,
based on the number of overdose desksthat we have, based on the
introduction of fentnyl into the street supplyof every substance that is available, and
(08:48):
the lethality of those results, particularlyhere in Jefferson County. For the very
first time, in twenty twenty one, death rates from opioids among African American
Kentucky's exceeded of White Kentuckians. Thatis a very grim milestone which illustrates that
this is not an US problem.This is not an end problem. This
is a weed problem that we haveto tackle as a unified state that seeks
(09:13):
to fight this war, and itis a war for each other instead of
on each other. The Opioid Symposiumin Lexington at the Conventions Griffin Gate.
The Griffin Gate is where there willbe a reception on the eighth, but
The actual conference itself on the ninthand tenth will be at the Central Bank
Center that is attached to Rupperina.Gotcha. This symposium is bringing together statewide
(09:35):
leaders who are elected officials. Theyare individuals who are in the trenches fighting
it out against the opioid epidemic asservice providers and activists. We will have
keynote speaker mister Sam Keyons to kickus off on the morning of the ninth.
There are going to be any numberof breakout sessions for which continuing education
credits are available for judges, lawyers, nurses, social workers, and any
(10:00):
other practitioners who are engaged in thefight against the epidemic. And tickets are
selling fast. We are getting veryclose to the event. So if an
individual goes to Kentucky Opioid Symposium dotorg, they are able to purchase those
tickets and attend what's going to bea very special event with a lot of
diversity of perspectives and participants three daysof it. Yes, sir, okay,
(10:24):
I can hear the passion and whatyou're saying, and the job is
just massive. That's ahead of us. So this pill mill business we were
dealing with a long time ago,the tributary is coming off that are still
horrific, those parents to children tochildren. We have a generationally compounding epidemic
(10:45):
on our hands, and the foundationthat was laid by Perdue Pharma has been
exacerbated by what we would describe asa fentnel highway that goes straight from the
communist regime which occupies the territory ofChina, straight into country south of our
border where cartels operate as their businesspartnership, and fentnyl across this country into
(11:11):
every city, town and county thatwe have. It is invisible, it
is lethal, and it continues towreak havoc on our whole society. Mister
Hubbard, I could talk to youall day. I'm more out of time,
but I appreciate the work you're puttingin. Thank you for your kindness
of having us here. And it'sa pleasure to mat Terry Brian Hubbard.
(11:33):
He's chair and executive director of KentuckyOpioid Abateman Advisory Commission, working under Attorney
General Daniel Cameron. Yes, sir, And the symposium comes up October eighth
through tenth. Lexington, Mary I. Griffinate and the Central Bank Center adjacent
to rapp Arena and go to KentuckyOpioid Symposium dot org. Yes, sir,
(11:54):
hey see my memories. Not thatbad. Great talking to you,
brother, Thank you, Terry.Keep up the fight, brother, We're
losing way too many young brains andpeople of all ages. Thank you, sir,
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