The Drug Industry's Triumph over the DEA
Source: Washington Post
THE DRUG INDUSTRYS TRIUMPH OVER THE DEA
Amid a targeted lobbying effort, Congress weakened the DEAs ability to go after drug distributors, even as opioid-related deaths continue to rise, a Washington Post and 60 Minutes investigation finds.
By Scott Higham and Lenny Bernstein
Oct. 15, 2017
In April 2016, at the height of the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history, Congress effectively stripped the Drug Enforcement Administration of its most potent weapon against large drug companies suspected of spilling prescription narcotics onto the nations streets.
By then, the opioid war had claimed 200,000 lives, more than three times the number of U.S. military deaths in the Vietnam War. Overdose deaths continue to rise. There is no end in sight.
A handful of members of Congress, allied with the nations major drug distributors, prevailed upon the DEA and the Justice Department to agree to a more industry-friendly law, undermining efforts to stanch the flow of pain pills, according to an investigation by The Washington Post and 60 Minutes. The DEA had opposed the effort for years.
The law was the crowning achievement of a multifaceted campaign by the drug industry to weaken aggressive DEA enforcement efforts against drug distribution companies that were supplying corrupt doctors and pharmacists who peddled narcotics to the black market. The industry worked behind the scenes with lobbyists and key members of Congress, pouring more than a million dollars into their election campaigns.
The chief advocate of the law that hobbled the DEA was Rep. Tom Marino,
a Pennsylvania Republican who is now President Trumps nominee to become the nations next drug czar. Marino spent years trying to move the law through Congress. It passed after Sen. Orrin G. Hatch
(R-Utah) negotiated a final version with the DEA.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/investigations/dea-drug-industry-congress/
enki23
(7,786 posts)Worldwide, it's *lack* of access to effective painkillers, especially including morphine, that is the much more serious problem. And often, that lack of access is because their governments are so afraid of opioid addiction that they would rather have millions of people die in unnecessary agony.
Painkillers are an extremely important part of healthcare, if you give any fucks at all about human suffering and its relief. Sure, it's good to avoid unnecessary suffering from the addictions as well. But we should be really goddamned careful that we don't cause far more suffering then we relieve in our anti-addict(ion) crusades.
Suspicion that effective pain relief is somehow immoral is not a new thing. It underlies many of our drug policies, I think. Especially among those who don't currently need it.
TheDebbieDee
(11,119 posts)has lead to the problem we have now where entire communities of people who are suffering from environmentally-caused illnesses are now also have to deal with an opioid addiction crisis...
If the FDA was able to monitor more closely monitor the prescription habits and trends by region, neighborhood, state, etc, at the very least, they could warn other federal agencies which communities need treatment resources... Or at best, warn drug companies or health providers that they may be forced to restrict the amounts of specific meds to certain areas...
stuffmatters
(2,574 posts)Our National Safety Net pushes opiates and speed for everything from pain in our Vets and elderly to weight loss in prediabetics. Alternatives like time release patches,medical marijuana for pain, contrave for weightloss.. i.e. the non addictive alternative
prescriptions... are denied to those they might help & not $ covered) in favor of outright addictive prescriptions.
This is a national outrage.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,310 posts)Last edited Mon Oct 16, 2017, 10:42 AM - Edit history (1)
Thanks, Eugene.
Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/fahrenthold
Trump's nominee as drug czar was the leading congressional backer of a drug-industry proposal to weaken opioid enforcement:
Link to tweet
Theres a LOT to take in from this incredible piece of reporting in todays Post:
Link to tweet
Amid a targeted lobbying effort, Congress weakened the DEAs ability to go after drug distributors, even as opioid-related deaths continue to rise, a Washington Post and 60 Minutes investigation finds.
By Scott Higham and Lenny Bernstein
Oct. 15, 2017
....
Steven Rich, Alice Li, Alice Crites, Reis Thebault and Sarah Bowman contributed to this report. Thebault was a fellow at the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University. Bowman was a fellow at the Medill Justice Project at Northwestern University. Graphics by Armand Emamdjomeh. Design and development by Leslie Shapiro, Danielle Rindler and Kaeti Hinck.
https://twitter.com/ScottHigham1
https://twitter.com/LennyMBernstein
Rhiannon12866
(204,779 posts)Whistleblower Joe Rannazzisi says drug distributors pumped opioids into U.S. communities -- knowing that people were dying -- and says industry lobbyists and Congress derailed the DEA's efforts to stop it
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-dea-agent-opioid-crisis-fueled-by-drug-industry-and-congress/
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,310 posts)Yesterday at 6:43am ·
Amid a targeted lobbying effort, Congress weakened the DEAs ability to go after drug distributors, even as opioid-related deaths continue to rise. Talk to The Washington Post reporters and a source for their story during a Facebook Live discussion on Monday at 11 a.m.
Click get reminder and well alert you when we start the discussion. Read the story: wapo.st/opioids