At the height of the opioid crisis, Congress effectively stripped drug enforcers of their most potent weapon against large drug companies suspected of spilling prescription narcotics onto the nation's streets. Lobbying resulted in a more industry-friendly law, according to an investigation by the Washington Post and "60 Minutes."
From the Washington Post:
Read Full Article »John Mulrooney, the chief DEA administrative law judge, has been documenting the falling number of immediate suspension orders against doctors, pharmacies and drug companies. That number has dropped from 65 in fiscal year 2011 to six so far this fiscal year, according to the DEA. Not a single order has targeted a distributor or manufacturer since late 2015, according to Mulrooney's reports, which were obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
Mulrooney said in his reports that the judges under him were handling so few cases at the DEA that they began hearing the cases of other federal agencies.
In his article planned for the winter issue of the Marquette Law Review, Mulrooney wrote: “If it had been the intent of Congress to completely eliminate the DEA's ability to ever impose an immediate suspension on distributors or manufacturers, it would be difficult to conceive of a more effective vehicle for achieving that goal.”
