A Member of Sackler Family Says She Got Addicted to Opioids

Joss Sackler, wife of former Purdue Pharma board member David Sackler, admitted in court that she became addicted to opioids and pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal grand jury investigation. In 2024, she deleted WhatsApp messages confirming her role in receiving an illegal opioid shipment, leading to a single felony charge. Sackler expressed remorse in a court statement, saying she regretted her actions while battling addiction and thanked the medical care she received during recovery. The case comes as the Sackler family faces scrutiny over their involvement in Purdue Pharma’s production of OxyContin, which contributed to the U.S. opioid crisis responsible for over 800,000 deaths. While the family negotiated a $6.5 billion settlement in 2026, Sackler’s lawyer emphasized her case is unrelated to Purdue Pharma or other family members. The Sacklers have avoided jail time and civil claims despite Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy and $7.4 billion settlement last week. Research from Princeton economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton links the opioid crisis to decades of declining economic opportunities for working-class Americans with low education levels. Major pharmacy chains like CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart were previously found liable in 2021 for fueling the crisis by marketing opioids as non-addictive and failing to monitor prescriptions. Purdue Pharma officially shut down after the settlement, but some Sacklers remain involved in Mundipharma, a global drug consortium. This raises questions about whether their wealth remains protected overseas. The opioid epidemic’s roots extend beyond Purdue Pharma, involving systemic failures in healthcare, corporate profit motives, and societal economic struggles.