Our huge challenge is the lack of oversight, regulation over firms

A few weeks ago, a court in Oklahoma in the US, found the company Johnson and Johnson — the makers of brands including Actified, Listerine, BandAid and numerous baby products — culpable in driving America’s opioid epidemic and fined the company US$572 million (or Sh572,000,000,000) for its role in Oklahoma’s crisis. The judge ruled that Johnson & Johnson ran a “false and dangerous” sales campaign that contributed to the opioid crisis in the state, claiming that using the drugs carried a low level of abuse and addiction, even though they knew the highly addictive nature of the drugs. It is inevitable that other states will follow the lead in Oklahoma and sue Johnson and Johnson for damages, fines and restitution.