Hunter Mountain, NY
As reported by Unofficial, and virtually every other publication in the country, Vail Resorts added another 17 resorts to its portfolio by purchasing Peak Resorts this year. Peak Resorts is a publicly-traded company, and the Sackler family, who own a large portion of the company, is estimated to have made $60 million from the sale.
A report from The Washington Post aims to draw attention to the controversy of the sale from locals who are devastated by the opioid crisis. Peak Resorts includes 17 resorts scattered across PA, OH, NH, VT, and NY; all states that have been ravaged by opioid addiction.
Members of the Sackler family are the owners of Purdue Pharma, the company that is blamed for driving the opioid crisis. Purdue Pharma makes the drug OxyContin, a highly addictive pain-killer.
The Washington Post interviewed Michael Yeaton, an addiction counselor in New Hampshire about his thoughts on the sale. It’s safe to say, he’s not a fan of the Sacklers. Yeaton believes it is unjust that Richard Sackler, the former chairman and President of Purdue Pharma, will benefit from the sale in a state ravished by addiction from his company’s drug.
The controversy goes even further, all the way to Attorney Generals across the country. As of now, 29 states have sued the Sackler family for their role in fueling the crisis. The New Hampshire Associate Attorney General James Boffetti, had this to say about the sale and profit of Peak Resorts,
“To the extent that was used for these investments, including in the ski resorts, that is money that they would have only because of this deceptive marketing scheme that they have been running at Purdue.’’
Americans who have been affected by the opioid epidemic are pressing the Sacklers to donate the profits from the sale of Peak Resorts to addiction-related philanthropy.
Who knew that the news of Vail purchasing more ski resorts could turn into such a large issue? Personally, I’m all for the locals in these effected states receiving the profits. What are your thoughts on the appropriate thing to do? I encourage all of you to read the full article at The Washington Post.
