Columbus, OH – Earlier this month, a bombshell report revealed that J.D. Vance is “proud” that his sham non-profit brought a Purdue Pharma mouthpiece to Ohio. In an interview with Richland Source this week, Vance said it was a “good thing” that Dr. Satel came to Ohio – despite her long record of arguing both before an after coming to Ohio that “addiction stems from combined behavioral and environmental forces” — effectively papering over the role of Purdue Pharma played in marketing and overprescribing opioids.
Vance’s non-profit is shuttered, as is its foundation, raising questions about Vance’s management of the organization. Herb Asher, a longtime Ohio political observer, characterized its lack of accomplishments, as well as Dr. Sally Satel’s connection to Big Pharma, as a “betrayal.”
These findings come after a Business Insider investigation last year found that Vance’s non-profit, which claimed to focus on combating the opioid epidemic, was a “charade” and “superficial,” and that its primary purpose was to bolster Vance and advance his personal ambitions. In its first year, the group spent more money paying Vance’s top political advisor than on programs to fight opioid misuse.
“J.D. Vance has been away from Ohio for so long he forgot that bringing a Big Pharma-backed doctor to Ohio is nothing to be ‘proud of,’ and nowhere close to being a ‘good thing.’ Instead of offering an apology to Ohio families who have lost loved ones to addiction, J.D. Vance is defending the indefensible – bringing a Purdue Pharma mouthpiece to ground zero of the opioid epidemic,” said Michael Beyer, a spokesperson for the Ohio Democratic Party.
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