Death in Mud Lick: A True Story of Corporate Pill Pushers in Small Town America

There's been so much discussion of "Fake News" over the last four years, along with the widespread demise of daily newspapers across North America, it's somewhat easy to forget that there are still dogged, undaunted, dare I say heroic investigative journalists still out there digging for the truth about the most important issues facing us today. Eric Eyre is one of these, and presents solid facts here that drug distributors, politicians, lobbyists, the DEA and a lot of greedy pharmacists and doctors would prefer had remained in the dark.

Earnest report of Big Pharma dumping their opioid pills in rural West Virginia. The author won a Pulitzer Prize for his newspaper coverage while he battled Parkinson's Disease. Lots of finger-pointing and evasion goes on. The investigative reporting methods are interesting.

4.5 rounded up (read in May)<br />full post here: <br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.nonfictionrealstuff.com/2020/06/death-in-mud-lick-coal-country-fight.html">http://www.nonfictionrealstuff.com/20...</a><br /><br /><br />Even after being diagnosed with and beginning treatment for Parkinson's in the midst of it all, the author of <i>Death in Mud Lick</i>, Eric Eyre, stuck to his guiding principle of "sustained outrage" as he continued to investigate and to report on the flooding of opioids into West Virginia, ultimately winning a Pulitzer in 2017 for his hard work. The word dogged doesn't even begin to describe his determination to get to the truth. At the same time, this is not just another book on the opioid epidemic -- here we are provided with an intense scrutiny of what goes on behind the scenes of a number agencies which are supposed to be regulating the flow of these powerful drugs to safeguard the population. What happens here is real, it is not at all pretty, and if you had to choose only one book on the topic, this would be the one. <br /><br />This work of investigative journalism puts an eagle-eyed focus on Eyre's efforts to gain information from not only the huge and powerful drug distribution firms, but also from various government officials and government agencies, and reveals how an elected official in West Virginia set out to "derail" Eyre's investigation, most likely in retaliation. Just reading this book frustrated me to no end -- not because it is bad (because it is most certainly not), but because, as Eyre writes in the preface,<br /><br />"As the addiction crisis spread across the country, some health advocates sounded the alarm, but industry lobbyists snuffed out policymakers' efforts to stop the scourge. They found politicians willing to do their bidding. The regulators -- the DEA, the pharmacy board -- failed to do their jobs. Pablo Escobar and El Chapo couldn't have set things up any better." <br /><br />I am a natural cynic and even I was shocked at what goes on behind the scenes to protect not the citizens of this nation but rather the ultra-lucrative pharmaceuticals industry. I am a huge believer in the power of investigative journalism done the right way, and I have to say that <i>Death in Mud Lick</i> is one of the best books I've read on this subject. After what he went through during the course of his investigations, Mr. Eyre deserves all accolades this book may receive.<br /><br />very highly recommended

If you like stories about entities refusing to turn over paperwork to other entities, you will like this book. Not to downplay the issue at hand, but, the main takeaway is how difficult it is to get any legal action on anything once everybody gets lawyered up. I found it difficult to keep track of all the lawyers involved, who was working for who in what capacity, and etc., but it almost didn't matter to understanding the story, which was: nobody wants to say they knew what is going on.

<blockquote><strong>The Hallmark of Crusading Journalism Is Sustained Outrage</strong><br />—Title of an editorial by W.E. 'Ned' Chilton in the Charleston, WV <u>Gazette</u>, November 18, 1983, from p.81 of <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/52476131.Death_in_Mud_Lick_A_True_Story_of_Corporate_Pill_Pushers_in_Small_Town_America" title="Death in Mud Lick A True Story of Corporate Pill Pushers in Small Town America by Eric Eyre" rel="noopener">Death in Mud Lick</a></blockquote><br />What's the difference between a legal drug and a drug that's illegal? You might think there'd be some objective, scientific criterion—how addictive it is; the level of danger from taking it; the physical effects of the drug; the social damage it causes—but no, none of those really make a difference to the law.<br /><br />The primary legal difference is this: who profits from the trade? (Or, in Latin: <strong> <em>cui bono?</em> </strong>)<br /><br /><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/52476131.Death_in_Mud_Lick_A_True_Story_of_Corporate_Pill_Pushers_in_Small_Town_America" title="Death in Mud Lick A True Story of Corporate Pill Pushers in Small Town America by Eric Eyre" rel="noopener">Death in Mud Lick</a>, by crusading journalist <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/19284962.Eric_Eyre" title="Eric Eyre" rel="noopener">Eric Eyre</a>, was not at all my usual thing, but it's forcefully written and meticulously researched, and it concerns places very near where I grew up—Eyre's work literally strikes very close to (what <em>was</em>, at least) my home.<br /><br />The Preface of <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/52476131.Death_in_Mud_Lick_A_True_Story_of_Corporate_Pill_Pushers_in_Small_Town_America" title="Death in Mud Lick A True Story of Corporate Pill Pushers in Small Town America by Eric Eyre" rel="noopener">Death in Mud Lick</a> is an effective executive summary—in those few short pages, Eyre lays out all you really need to know about the destruction wreaked by the trade in addictive painkillers (primarily hydrocodone and oxycodone) in southern West Virginia. The rest of the book is narrative and backup: detailed evidence, corroborating citations, and names. Lots and lots of names. Eyre's extensive research and documentation are exhaustive and thorough. Sometimes, even, a bit <em>too</em> thorough—for example, I don't think we needed to know exactly what Eyre ordered from Burger King (p.100).<br /><br />*<br /><blockquote> <strong>"If you're not angry, you're not paying attention."</strong> </blockquote><br />If you're not already angry after the first page or two of <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/52476131.Death_in_Mud_Lick_A_True_Story_of_Corporate_Pill_Pushers_in_Small_Town_America" title="Death in Mud Lick A True Story of Corporate Pill Pushers in Small Town America by Eric Eyre" rel="noopener">Death in Mud Lick</a>, I think you will be by the end. <em>So many</em> organizations—and people—weren't paying attention. The drug companies actually used this legal theory to defend themselves, contending that the multitude of guilty parties diluted their responsibility, but I rather think it <em>compounds</em> culpability. There's more than enough blame to, as it were, distribute. Are the addicts themselves responsible? Yes, to some extent—although most of them received their first doses in traditional drug-pusher fashion, "for free," as legitimately-prescribed analgesics for injuries they received on the job. Are the local pharmacists who blindly filled hundreds and thousands of prescriptions a day at fault? Yes, for sure. Are the regional distributors who brought truckloads of pills to these tiny towns week after week to blame? Them, too. The transnational manufacturers of those pills? Yup. The state's politicians—men like Patrick Morrisey, the state's Attorney General through much of the period Eyre covers, and then-Governor Joe Manchin, who comes across as a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democrat_In_Name_Only" rel="nofollow noopener">DINO</a> then as now? Oh <em>hell</em> yeah. And does the oblivious Drug Enforcement Agency, focusing on Florida while ignoring the ongoing traffic much closer to D.C., bear some responsibility too? Absolutely.<br /><br /><a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/19284962.Eric_Eyre" title="Eric Eyre" rel="noopener">Eric Eyre</a>'s analysis lets <em>no one</em> off the hook.<br /><br />The <em>law</em>, on the other hand...<br /><br />*<br /><br />Throughout <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/52476131.Death_in_Mud_Lick_A_True_Story_of_Corporate_Pill_Pushers_in_Small_Town_America" title="Death in Mud Lick A True Story of Corporate Pill Pushers in Small Town America by Eric Eyre" rel="noopener">Death in Mud Lick</a>, Eyre exhibits a journalist's faith in the power of the Word to redeem the world (or at least his neglected corner of the world). And, indeed, the sustained outrage of Eyre and crusading investigators like him did have <em>some</em> positive effects on the prescription-drug crisis in my home state.<br /><br />Whether that's enough to save West Virginia in the long run... well, we'll see.

I think it proper to begin my review of Eric Eyre's "Death in Mud Lick" with a disclaimer. I am a native West Virginian, so the issues within were familiar and visceral for me and that may contribute to a slight bias! Bias aside, I think this is an important work for any reader interested in the culture of Appalachia. It shows how the rest of the United States views this area of the country and focuses an investigative eye on the flood of prescription pills that rolled over the region and led to so many deaths. The stories of pharmacies entertaining crowds so large they brought in popcorn makers and a food truck seem like something out of fiction, but the consequences Eyre's charts are very real and their effects are still being dealt with today. The book does end with hopes for justice, but as a native daughter of the state notes in the book, it's difficult to "trust that the money [will] go where it's needed." Hopefully a work like this will lead to more treatment centers and less abuse from the "painkiller profiteers."

Newspaper journalists were my heroes as a girl. My ten-year-old girlfriend and I spent hours planning to turn a falling down chicken coup into an office where we would write and publish our own newspaper. I was on the school newspaper in high school. I follow a number of journalists on social media who are my heroes, and now I have one more to add to my list.<br /><br />You reminded me of how much a community depends on its newspaper to tell the truth and follow through finding the truth even if it's a little scary.~from Death in Mud Lick by Eric Eyre<br /><br />Charleston Gazette-Mail reporter Eric Eyre won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigation into the massive opioid shipments to West Virginia. That story is presented in the book Death in Mud Lick.<br /><br />I will admit this was one of those books I requested that looked interesting but when I received it I almost regretted it. I don't need to read another tragedy. We are in a pandemic already!<br /><br />But I don't shirk my responsibilities and I sat down and read. I was soon immersed in the twisted history of how every safeguard failed to alert and stop the massive inflow of opioids into small towns, resulting in record overdose deaths. I looked forward to picking it up every day.<br /><br />Everybody was making money--the pharmacies, doctors, patients, distributors, manufacturers. And nobody had the power to stop them.~ from Death in Mud Lick by Eric Eyre<br /><br />This is one more story about people's lives sacrificed for money and governing authorities complicity in cover-ups. It is also the story of how a small town newspaper and one reporter prevailed to disclose the papertrail detailing responsibility.<br /><br />Eyre does an amazing job marrying the personal side of the crisis and the struggle of the newspaper to keep afloat with his documentation of events. During the time of his investigation, Eyre was diagnosed with Parkinson's. It didn't stop him.<br /><br />Today a Facebook friend shared a quip about shutting down the national media and watching 80% of the world's problems go away. Another Facebook friend responded, "It's your right to stay ignorant."<br /><br />I am with that second friend. The media--particularly newspapers still employing investigative reporters--are essential to a democratic society. We may not like what we are reading, we may find the news disheartening and frightening, but our alternative is ignorance.<br /><br />I received a free ebook from the publisher on a Goodreads giveaway. My review is fair and unbiased.

3.5 stars. Overall, the book infuriates me because it very clearly shows the greed, corruption, dishonesty, and total lack of concern for other people that exists today. At times it was tedious to read because there are a lot of people to keep track of, the timeline was hard to follow at times, and it's primarily about investigative journalism and legal battles. But, the investigative journalism was amazing and it was interesting to learn how this reporter exposed the opioid problem and was relentless in his efforts.

First Five Star book of the year!

<i>There’s more than one tragedy in Eric Eyre’s book. He is a gifted journalist, capable of pursuing a story until it’s complete. But he worked for a regional newspaper that is bleeding money, and he does the kind of journalism that has come to seem impossible as newspapers can barely stay alive. The Charleston Gazette-Mail has had a reputation as a journalistic watchdog. It’s a role they may not be able to continue. This book is about opioids, but it is also the story of how important investigative journalism is.</i><br /><br />West Virginia could be considered Ground Zero for the Opioid epidemic. Overdoses and addictions ravaged many communities, but this story of the fight to expose the sources of easy availability began with the death of one man, William Preece, in the town of Mud Lick. His sister, Debbie, was determined that he would not be just another number in the drug overdose statistics. <br /><br />Debbie traced William Preece’s pills to the Sav-Rite Pharmacy in Kermit, West Virginia. She and her lawyer uncovered the pharmacy’s delivery data for the year following Preece’s death: 2.2 million hydrocodone and 78,5000 oxycodone pills. This in a tiny town.<br /><br />This enormous quantity was delivered to the pharmacy by a single distributor, a middleman company that purchases prescription pills from the manufacturers, stores them, and distributes to hospitals and pharmacies. From 2006 to 2012, distributors – seemingly benign middlemen – delivered 780 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to West Virginia, while 1728 residents of the state fatally overdosed on the two painkillers.<br /><br />There are plenty of culprits in this story: Doctors who wrote prescriptions without even seeing the patient. Official agencies like the Drug Enforcement Agency and the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy that failed to follow up on “suspicious orders.” Pharmaceutical companies which promoted dangerous and addictive drugs. The drug users themselves, often addicted before they began to get prescriptions. A state attorney general with conflicts of interest.<br /><br />Yet it is the action of distributors that is at the core of this story. Journalist Eric Eyre’s pursuit of the story asks the question, “How did 780 million painkillers spew into West Virginia and nobody said a word?” Eyre found his years-long story when Debbie Preece’s battle with the distributors came to his attention. Eyre won the Pulitzer Prize, and this book is the account of his investigation.<br /><br />When there are so many blame-worthy layers, it is easy for any of the culprits to downplay their own roles. Chief executives of the distributors, notably McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen, denied contributing to the opioid crisis, but the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce ultimately found that they failed to conduct proper oversight by not questioning or monitoring the rampant flow of addictive painkillers. When a legal battle finally resulted in the release of DEA data, the full magnitude of their negligence became clear.<br /><br />Eric Eyre, we need you. This one reporter trained his eye on greed and corruption that caused so much human misery. May our society find ways to reward and keep these “essential workers.”<br />