Send the message to Yale: Stop honoring the people who gave us the opioid crisis
The Issue
They’re the family behind the opioid crisis, and Yale University is letting them launder their public image.
The Sackler family has mislead the public for over two decades about the dangers of OxyContin. Their private company, Purdue Pharma, even went so far as to directly encourage doctors to prescribe it. Many of those doctors have since lost their medical licenses. So why is Yale honoring the Sackler’s by putting their name on buildings? Tell Yale to stop honoring the Sackler family - rename these buildings!
Since OxyContin went onto the market in 1996, over 200,000 people have died from prescription opioid overdoses in the United States. In past lawsuits, the Sackler family were seen as removed from efforts at Purdue Pharma that mislead the public and pushed doctors to prescribe OxyContin over prescription painkillers, like Vicodin and Percocet. All the while, telling the public that OxyContin was only addictive in 1% of cases - a statistical statement with absolutely zero scientific accuracy. But a current lawsuit is painting a very different picture - the Sackler family has been directly involved in efforts to push OxyContin, and amassing a huge fortune along the way. There’s blood on Sackler family donations. Tell Yale to take the Sackler name off university buildings.
Since OxyContin came onto the market, the Sackler’s have increased their net worth to $13 billion - nearly on par with the Rockefellers. They’ve used that fortune to shield their public image through donations. They’ve given substantially to Yale over the years, including a $3 million endowment to establish the Richard Sackler and Jonathan Sackler Professorship at Yale’s Cancer Center. Their name has also been immortalized on the Sackler School of Medicine and the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Institute of Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences at Yale.
Knowing that the Sackler’s amassed their wealth through the suffering and deaths of 200,000 Americans - how can Yale continue to accept gifts and honor this family? Yale recently removed the name of John C. Calhoun from a building after students and alumni stood up against his support of slavery. So why is Yale immortalizing the Sacklers? Demand Yale remove their name from buildings.
The Issue
They’re the family behind the opioid crisis, and Yale University is letting them launder their public image.
The Sackler family has mislead the public for over two decades about the dangers of OxyContin. Their private company, Purdue Pharma, even went so far as to directly encourage doctors to prescribe it. Many of those doctors have since lost their medical licenses. So why is Yale honoring the Sackler’s by putting their name on buildings? Tell Yale to stop honoring the Sackler family - rename these buildings!
Since OxyContin went onto the market in 1996, over 200,000 people have died from prescription opioid overdoses in the United States. In past lawsuits, the Sackler family were seen as removed from efforts at Purdue Pharma that mislead the public and pushed doctors to prescribe OxyContin over prescription painkillers, like Vicodin and Percocet. All the while, telling the public that OxyContin was only addictive in 1% of cases - a statistical statement with absolutely zero scientific accuracy. But a current lawsuit is painting a very different picture - the Sackler family has been directly involved in efforts to push OxyContin, and amassing a huge fortune along the way. There’s blood on Sackler family donations. Tell Yale to take the Sackler name off university buildings.
Since OxyContin came onto the market, the Sackler’s have increased their net worth to $13 billion - nearly on par with the Rockefellers. They’ve used that fortune to shield their public image through donations. They’ve given substantially to Yale over the years, including a $3 million endowment to establish the Richard Sackler and Jonathan Sackler Professorship at Yale’s Cancer Center. Their name has also been immortalized on the Sackler School of Medicine and the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Institute of Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences at Yale.
Knowing that the Sackler’s amassed their wealth through the suffering and deaths of 200,000 Americans - how can Yale continue to accept gifts and honor this family? Yale recently removed the name of John C. Calhoun from a building after students and alumni stood up against his support of slavery. So why is Yale immortalizing the Sacklers? Demand Yale remove their name from buildings.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on January 30, 2019