HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	191
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION TO IMMEDIATELY RENAME THE ARTHUR M. SACKLER GALLERY.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, opioids are a class of drugs that includes the prescription pain relievers oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine; and

 

     WHEREAS, opioids are highly addictive, even when used as prescribed by a physician; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared opioid abuse a national epidemic; and

 

     WHEREAS, opioid overdoses claim more lives every year than motor vehicle accidents or gun violence; and

 

     WHEREAS, the prescription painkiller OxyContin, a brand name for oxycodone, is at the heart of this epidemic; and

 

     WHEREAS, OxyContin was developed by Purdue Pharma, owned and operated by the Sackler family; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Sackler family launched OxyContin with a multi-faceted marketing campaign that misinformed physicians about the risks of opioids; and

 

     WHEREAS, this campaign was led by doctors who were paid by Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family to falsely convince physicians of OxyContin's safety and non-addictive properties; and

 

     WHEREAS, Psychiatrist Allen Frances was quoted in the New Yorker as saying, "Most of the questionable practices that propelled the pharmaceutical industry into the scourge it is today can be attributed to Arthur Sackler"; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is one of the Smithsonian Institution's two prestigious museums of Asian art; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the Senate concurring, that the Smithsonian Institution is urged to immediately rename the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, in light of the family's significant contributions to today's opioid crisis; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary, Inspector General, Chief Operating Officer, Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs, and General Counsel of the Smithsonian Institution.

Report Title: 

Smithsonian Institution; Urging Name Change; Opioid Crisis