CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 HOST: Should American companies that manufacture certain drugs be held responsible for overdose deaths from those drugs? That"s the first subject we"re exploring today. I"m Carl Azuz.
CNN10分钟新闻主持人卡尔·阿祖兹：某些药物过量会导致死亡，那制造这些药物的美国公司应为此负责吗？这是今天的首则新闻。我是卡尔·阿祖兹。
A district county judge in Oklahoma has ordered Johnson & Johnson, a pharmaceutical company, to pay $572 million for its role in Oklahoma"s opioid crisis. This was the first state trial that tried to hold a pharmaceutical company responsible.
俄克拉荷马州一名地区法官责令制药公司强生为其助长该州类阿片危机的行为支付5.72亿美元罚款。这是首个试图让制药公司为这一危机负责的州判决。
The crisis itself has been going on for decades. In , President Trump declared America"s opioid crisis a public health emergency. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says between 1999 and , more than 700,000 died from drug overdoses. And that most of those deaths, 68 percent, involved opioids.
这场危机已持续了数十年时间。，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普宣布美国的类阿片危机为公共卫生紧急事件。美国疾病控制与预防中心表示，1999年至期间，美国有超过70万人因药物过量死亡。大多数药物过量死亡人群服用了阿片类药物，这部分人群占比为68%。
These are a class of drugs that include the illegal substance, heroine, but also pain killers that are legally prescribed like hydrocodone, morphine, and fentanyl. Johnson & Johnson makes everything from medical equipment to skin care products to baby shampoo.
阿片类药物包括海洛因等违法物质，但同时也包括氢可酮、吗啡、芬太尼等合法的处方止痛药。强生公司的产品涉及各个领域，涵盖医疗器械、护肤品和婴儿洗发露。
It also owns a smaller company that manufactures legal opioids. That"s why Oklahoma sued it. Oklahoma says Johnson & Johnson created the opioid crisis there that killed more than 6,000 people statewide, destroyed families, and hurt communities.
强生旗下还有一家生产合法阿片类药物的小型公司。这就是俄克拉荷马州起诉强生公司的原因。俄克拉荷马州表示，强生公司制造的类阿片危机导致该州超过6000人死亡，摧毁了多个家庭，并对社区造成了损害。
How could that happen if opioids are legally prescribed by doctors and then consumed by patients? In his decision against Johnson & Johnson, the judge wrote that the company actively promoted opioids, suggested that Americans in pain needed more pain killers and implied that there"s a low risk these drugs would be abused and a low danger in prescribing them.
如果医生可以合法开出阿片类处方药而患者也可以合法服用该药物，那为什么还会发生这一危机？法官在对强生案宣判时写道，强生公司积极宣传阿片类药物，称饱受疼痛困扰的美国人需要服用更多止疼药，该公司还暗示称，这些药物滥用风险低而且开阿片类药物的风险也低。
Johnson & Johnson says it recognizes that the opioid crisis is a complex health issue, but that it followed state laws, marketed its drugs responsibly, and that Oklahoma failed to prove that a Johnson & Johnson company caused any harm. It"s planning to appeal the decision.
强生承认阿片类药物危机是复杂的卫生问题，但坚称公司遵守州法律，而且以负责任地方式宣传药物，俄克拉荷马州没能证明强生旗下的公司造成了任何伤害。强生计划对这一裁决提起上诉。
The reason this case is getting so much attention nationwide is because it could be used as an example in other lawsuits by other states that are suing opioid makers.
这起案件在全美引发广泛关注的原因是，其他州在起诉阿片类药物生产商时可能会将此案作为先例。
（来源：CNN）
