Delray Beach will be the first city in Florida to sue companies that make opioid-based painkillers.
The argument is those drugs led to the current heroin epidemic in the city.
The mayor said each overdose costs the city about $2,000.
City leaders hope to have a lawsuit filed by the end of the year.
“These medicines were originally approved for terminally ill cancer care, so why is it just so prolific?” asked Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein.
The lawsuit won’t cost the city any money up-front. The law firm only gets paid a portion of any money it wins for Delray Beach.