Drug companies in opioid crisis have donated to Ohio’s Ryan

By JULIE CARR SMYTH
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A Democratic congressman who has made his opponent’s questionable record fighting the opioid epidemic a central theme of his campaign for Ohio’s open U.S. Senate seat has accepted campaign donations over the years from drug distributors blamed for key roles in the crisis. An Associated Press review found the $27,000 in combined contributions to U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan from the nation’s three largest drug distributors rolled in between 2007 and this August. The giving represents a fraction of Ryan’s campaign contributions over the years, but it’s notable because he’s hammered Republican opponent JD Vance over the spotty record of his anti-opioid nonprofit.