The Justice Department is urging Congress to rewrite legislation, passed at the pharmaceutical industry’s behest, that has undermined the Drug Enforcement Administration’s efforts against companies suspected of violating the law. “We believe the changes will make it easier to fight the opioid epidemic consistent with President Trump’s priorities to end this crisis,” said Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores. The Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act was pushed through Congress in 2016 by a small band of lawmakers backed by a powerful array of drug companies. Sessions said the Justice Department would seek repayment as well, saying that the federal government has borne substantial costs. The DEA’s chief administrative law judge, John J. Mulrooney II, also wrote in a law review article that the law crippled the agency’s enforcement efforts.

Source: Washington Post March 02, 2018 23:54 UTC