Delayed justice: One company escaping accountability in Ky’s opioids and vaping crisis | Opinion

Today’s young people face so many challenges. From the social pressures found online to the hardships in the classroom, today’s students need more support than ever before. Fortunately, there are many organizations across our commonwealth aiming to do just that.

For example, public health advocates fought for years to keep dangerous products like vapes away from teens. According to one study last year, nearly half of Kentucky high schoolers and a quarter of middle schoolers have tried vaping. Policymakers and advocates have taken important steps to keep young people from starting down a path of addiction and substance abuse.

These efforts all share a common goal: to protect young people and help them to reach their full potential.

Unfortunately, not everyone shares this same drive. And those who are endangering Kentucky’s children must be held accountable.

My former colleagues at the Jefferson County Board of Education launched a lawsuit against one of these bad actors, the multi-billion-dollar consulting firm McKinsey & Company. They argue that McKinsey’s well-documented role in turbocharging the opioid epidemic led to strains on the school system that were left to pick up the pieces. I’ve also written before about McKinsey’s work helping Juul to design new flavors for their vaping products that would appeal to children.

Local governments across Kentucky and the country have filed similar suits against McKinsey. These communities deserve to have their day in court to hold this bad corporate actor accountable for prioritizing profit over people.

The problem is that this case has dragged on for years. Every day that passes is another where this massive firm escapes accountability for its actions.

There is some good news. Kentucky has already received nearly $11 million from McKinsey in a settlement led by Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The consulting firm’s actions in the opioid epidemic have also been the subject of a Congressional inquiry, including by Kentucky’s own James Comer, now-Chairman of the House Oversight Committee. And more of the firm’s wrongdoings have come to light, including its duplicitous work pushing addictive pills onto vulnerable veterans.

Without serious accountability, bad actors can continue taking aim at Kentucky’s young people in the hopes of making a quick buck. As policy advocates, we must take a strong stand against those who harm our young kids. Prioritizing our children and their future over shady businesses should not be a hard decision.

It’s time to hold McKinsey and other firms like it accountable for their devastating impact on Kentucky. They should take responsibility and work to make it right. While they can never make whole the families who have lost a loved one to substance misuse, they can help support prevention, treatment and other services in Kentucky that are taking on the scourge of the opioid epidemic every day.

Benjamin M. Gies is the director of early childhood policy and practice at the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence. He previously served on the Jefferson County Board of Education.