Around 80 percent of all heroin addicts start their habit through prescription painkillers. In 2018, more than 67,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, and almost 70 percent of those involved an opioid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Walmart faces civil penalties of up to $67,627 for each unlawful prescription filled and $15,691 for each suspicious order not reported, according to the Department of Justice. The retail chain operates around 5,000 pharmacies nationwide.
