Misleading advertising and the understatement of the addictive qualities of opioids by the Perdue and Sackler families are just some of the issues being addressed by a class action that Newfoundland and Labrador has joined.

Justice Minister Andrew Parsons says British Columbia is taking the lead on the class action but he expects other provinces and territories to join in.

He explains that because opioids were distributed via the medical system, the addiction has spread very quickly. Parsons describes the situation with opioids as heinous.

He says both the education and healthcare systems have been severely affected.

Parsons does not have an exact figure as to the cost to the province, but he says it costs $110,000 to keep a person incarcerated for one year and a large percentage of those people are battling addictions, including opioids.

He estimates it is a multi-billion dollar issue for the country.

Parsons expects it will be years before the class action is concluded.