New arrivalYou can now listen to Fox News articles.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday that he would begin investigating Wal-Mart’s opioid sales to determine if retailers had improperly met their prescriptions.
Paxton has filed a civil investigation request with Wal-Mart for possible violations of the Texas Fraudulent Competition and Consumer Act, according to a news release from his office.
CID is associated with the promotion, sale, dispensing and distribution of prescription opioids. Fox News has contacted Wal-Mart.
“I have fought for the Texans, which was tragically affected by the illegal marketing and sales of opioids, which caused addiction and premature death for thousands of people each year.” Paxton said in the release. “I promise to hold the pharmacy accountable if the pharmacy is involved in this catastrophic epidemic.”
The fentanyl crisis is “the most bipartisan problem you can find”: Dana Perino
The investigation focuses on Wal-Mart’s compliance with submitting documents related to opioid orders dating back to January 2006 to the Drug Enforcement Department and state agencies.
In 2020, the federal government sued Wal-Mart over its role in fostering the country’s opioid crisis.
Click here to get the Fox News app
In a lawsuit in the Justice Department, Wal-Mart alleged that it sought to increase profits by understaffing pharmacies and pressure employees to fill out prescriptions quickly. This made it difficult for pharmacists to reject invalid prescriptions, and the lawsuit alleged that substance abuse was widespread nationwide.