The Justice Department is taking action to stop the Purdue Pharma opioid litigation settlement, arguing that it is wrong to grand broad legal immunity to the firm’s founding Sackler family. The controversial deal, approved earlier this month, forces the family to pay $4.5 billion in compensation, as part of an estimated $10 billion deal over the next decade, with the majority of funds going to drug abatement and treatment programs. But the settlement has been widely criticized by patients’ rights groups and others who say the family—which has reaped billions from the sale of its highly addictive OxyContin painkiller—should be shielded from further. The Justice Department said in its filing that the deal takes away the rights of those with a valid legal claim against the Sacklers. Those who support the deal, including a majority of states, say that it would provide much-needed funding for drug treatment programs. Meanwhile, more and more college football teams that suffered financial losses during the pandemic year are throwing their moral qualms about “sin” industries out the window, and are hooking with booze and cannabis companies to gain sponsorships and the rights to sell their products. The result is a lot more alcohol for sale in stadiums and sponsorship money from the marijuana industry. Colorado, for example, became the first major university to add a cannabis company as a corporate sponsor. It’s not clear yet if pot products will be sold along with beer and hot dogs. And finally, Maine residents are known for having an independent streak—and that’s true too when it comes to selling recreational marijuana. More than 90 percent of towns in Maine still do not allow adult-use pot sales after opting out or passing ordinances banning dispensaries, even as the industry has taken off in the state (marijuana was legalized in 2016 but sales only began in 2020). The resistance is largely due to fears about harder drugs, including opioids and methamphetamines that have ravaged many Maine communities.