Judge Rules Walgreens 'Substantially Contributed' to San Francisco Opioid Crisis

Pharmacy giant Walgreens "substantially contributed" to San Francisco's opioid crisis by shipping hundreds of thousands of "suspicious orders" of highly addictive prescription drugs as part of a profit-driven "fill, fill, fill culture," a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in the non-jury trial means that Walgreens can be held liable for much of the California city's opioid epidemic. Breyer said he will hold another trial to determine Walgreens' liability, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

"Walgreens pharmacies in San Francisco dispensed hundreds of thousands of red-flag opioid prescriptions without performing...