A group of inmates have sued the New York State prison system over its efforts to crack down on prescription drug abuse.
The lawsuit takes aim at a 2017 policy that requires extra approval from prison medical staff before inmates can get prescriptions filled for certain drugs, like opioid painkillers.
The inmates’ lawsuit claims they’re being forced to live with chronic pain because some medications are too difficult to get while in prison. They say hundreds of inmates have been cut off from drugs they need for legitimate medical reasons.
The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said in a statement that the agency is committed to battling the opioid epidemic.
