Michigan Tests Innovative Crack Law Against Opioid Distributors (1)

Some of the world’s largest opioid distributors are fighting off a law meant to combat street drug empires as Michigan opens a new legal front that could serve as a model for other states.

In a 100-page complaint filed Dec. 17, Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) contends that some of the industry’s titans—Walgreens, McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen—have entered the “illegal drug market.” That makes them liable for damages under the Drug Dealer Liability Act because they should have known large distributions of pills were being diverted and abused, the state alleges.

The 1994 statute was meant to give victims ...