The drug industry’s triumph over the DEA

[FriendlyFire]

Welp, Republicans gave it to their constitutes good and hard
At least Drug users ODing themselves in record numbers, with Fentyal being increasingly used, and major cuts to Healthcare the Drug problem will probably solve itself.

Its mind boggling that Big Pharma racked up such massive fines, close to a quarter Million deaths and yet the Republicans seem unable to connect the dots.

The drug industry’s triumph over the DEA

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 nation’s streets.

A handful of members of Congress, allied with the nation’s 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 Trump’s nominee to become the nation’s next drug czar.

The new law makes it virtually impossible for the DEA to freeze suspicious narcotic shipments from the companies

A senior DEA official said the agency fought the bill for years in the face of growing pressure from key members of Congress and industry lobbyists. But the DEA lost the battle and eventually was forced to accept a deal it did not want.

In 2008, Rannazzisi and Barber targeted Cardinal Health, another large drug distributor, for filling “blatantly suspicious” orders from online drugstores. Cardinal paid a $34 million fine.

The DEA would ultimately bring at least 17 cases against 13 drug distributors and one manufacturer. The government said it assessed nearly $425 million in fines over a decade.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/grap...rug-industry-congress/?utm_term=.a906deb6f190

 

[hobbsyoyo]

It's far easier to blame pot (remember it's almost as bad as heroine per our AG) for all our woes. But hey it seems they are finally getting the memo in congress that rampant opiate over-prescriptions are bad for the country. Although it's amusing (in a tragic way) that our congress is all set to help the people who are struggling with this drug epidemic when the only thing they were willing to do to help crack addicts was harsher prison sentences. I wonder why that is?

 

[metalhead]

This report shone a light on everything wrong with how government works.

On the other hand, I feel a major part of the story was left out - namely, that a significant and growing number of overdose deaths are being blamed on prescription opioids that are being cut with super-cheap synthetic opiods (mainly fentanyl) being imported from overseas, mainly China, that are lethal to humans in extremely small doses.

The facts are extremely troublesome, but I'm not 100% on board with the conclusion that the DEA retaining this authority would put a meaningful dent in the number of overdose deaths. Of course, being able to hold the distributors and manufacturers accountable has a ton of other positive benefits for society, which still makes this a tragic story. But I wish the focus had been more on that aspect of it, and less on the more questionable one of preventing overdose deaths.

 

[Berzerker]

abolish the DEA

a significant and growing number of overdose deaths are being blamed on prescription opioids that are being cut with super-cheap synthetic opiods (mainly fentanyl) being imported from overseas, mainly China, that are lethal to humans in extremely small doses.

and charge the dealers doin the cutting with murder

 

[Cutlass]

Republicans connected the dots just fine: Crony capitalism wanted it, crony capitalism got it.

 

[metalhead]

abolish the DEA

and charge the dealers doin the cutting with murder

I'm gonna go ahead and assume the cognitive dissonance here is an attempt at humor.

 

[Oerdin]

Welp, Republicans gave it to their constitutes good and hard
At least Drug users ODing themselves in record numbers, with Fentyal being increasingly used, and major cuts to Healthcare the Drug problem will probably solve itself.

Its mind boggling that Big Pharma racked up such massive fines, close to a quarter Million deaths and yet the Republicans seem unable to connect the dots.

They are paid to pretend they do not understand.

 

[Berzerker]

I'm gonna go ahead and assume the cognitive dissonance here is an attempt at humor.

DEA doesn't enforce laws against murder

 

[Berzerker]

Chris Hayes tonight said big pharma didn't like actions by the DEA and 'did an end run' around them by going to Congress... Huh? Petitioning your Congress for redress of grievances is doing an end run? The Congress is dead, long live the bureaucracy.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Chris Hayes tonight said big pharma didn't like actions by the DEA and 'did an end run' around them by going to Congress... Huh? Petitioning your Congress for redre$$ of grievance$ is doing an end run? The Congress is dead, long live the bureaucracy.

Why would you be for execution of Drug dealers but not fining Pharma whom knowingly sell the drug precursors to drug dealers ?
At least the Drug users are killing themselves by the hundreds of thousands

 

[Hrothbern]

Chris Hayes tonight said big pharma didn't like actions by the DEA and 'did an end run' around them by going to Congress... Huh? Petitioning your Congress for redress of grievances is doing an end run?

Up to here I follow and agree with you

The Congress is dead

I am afraid the Congress is very much alive, but especially for the wrong people

long live the bureaucracy

I would replace that by another word. Perhaps establishment ?
Bureaucracy is AFAIK defined as the system to implement and execute policies, all the way down to the individual citizen. A civil servant system.

 

[metalhead]

DEA doesn't enforce laws against murder

Investigating drug distributors to determine who is cutting their opioids with fentanyl would, however, be their area. Couldn't make a case without it.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Chris Hayes tonight said big pharma didn't like actions by the DEA and 'did an end run' around them by going to Congress... Huh? Petitioning your Congress for redress of grievances is doing an end run? The Congress is dead, long live the bureaucracy.

I mean when you pay millions of dollars to lobbyists to get laws to fuel a drug epidemic for profit I think they just call that bribery.

Has anyone followed what actually happened in this case? The pharmaceutical industry was avoiding DEA regulations where they have to report big drug shipments. Basically if a company ships 1000 pills to a pharmacy one month and then 100,000 the next, they had to report that. Very few of them did that and the DEA was trying (feebly) to reign them in so the industry paid the congressman that Trump later tried to appoint to be the drug czar to make a law that basically deleted that regulation altogether.

It's funny how 'powerless' the DEA was to stop extraordinarily dangerous drugs from being over prescribed yet they had a ton of power to raid medicinal (and state-legal) cannabis dispensaries with impunity.

 

[Berzerker]

Why would you be for execution of Drug dealers but not fining Pharma whom knowingly sell the drug precursors to drug dealers ?
At least the Drug users are killing themselves by the hundreds of thousands

I didn't say anything about executing people, just charging people with murder when they cut drugs with another that kills people.

Investigating drug distributors to determine who is cutting their opioids with fentanyl would, however, be their area. Couldn't make a case without it.

Law enforcement across the land investigates opioids and fentanyl without the DEA and they investigate fraud and murder.

I mean when you pay millions of dollars to lobbyists to get laws to fuel a drug epidemic for profit I think they just call that bribery.

Is that true for Planned Parenthood when they pay politicians to fuel legalized abortion? How about the people behind the legal pot movement? Just asking... Seems to me our system is based on bribery. If you have a problem with bureaucrats on a matter, who else will you seek help from if not representatives? If the representatives wants $$$ in exchange, thats on them... From what I understand of the issue, the OD epidemic is tied into the adulteration of drugs with fentanyl from China. The adulteration should be illegal, not access to the painkillers being adulterated.

Up to here I follow and agree with you

I am afraid the Congress is very much alive, but especially for the wrong people

I would replace that by another word. Perhaps establishment ?
Bureaucracy is AFAIK defined as the system to implement and execute policies, all the way down to the individual citizen. A civil servant system.

I was addressing Chris Hayes' complaint about doing an end run around the bureaucracy as if Congress shouldn't be involved ('dead') and the new king appropriately honored (bowing to the bureaucrats).

 

[metalhead]

Law enforcement across the land investigates opioids and fentanyl without the DEA and they investigate fraud and murder.

Importing fentanyl from overseas to distribute it makes it a federal crime, to be investigated by federal law enforcement. If you get rid of the federal law enforcement agents who investigate such matters, then you won't have anyone to build the case.

 

[Berzerker]

Abolish the DEA, not the FBI... And states dont need the DEA to investigate fentanyl adulteration.

 

[GoodEnoughForMe]

The framing of this as a Republican only thing is weird. Yes, 3 Republicans basically created the law. Not a single Dem (or Republican) voiced objection to it during unanimous consent. Obama signed it into law.

This was simply a failure of everyone, from either party, to stand up to business interests.

 

[Berzerker]

when failures are that bipartisan they aint failures

lets see how much the Dems got for participating

 

[FriendlyFire]

The framing of this as a Republican only thing is weird. Yes, 3 Republicans basically created the law. Not a single Dem (or Republican) voiced objection to it during unanimous consent. Obama signed it into law. This was simply a failure of everyone, from either party, to stand up to business interests.

The news article is based on the 60 mins investigative report, so if you havent watched or read up on that report then you missed the major reasons as why this was made into law.
A town of 600 population sold some 5 Mil opiode pills, the DEA wanted to step in and shut down the flow of pain killers, thats when the DEA started to target the Distributors
The head of the DEA which provided advice to congress that it had no objections, changed to law to make it much harder for the DEA to target Distributors then leaving hes post for a Job at Pharma

Congressman Marino of course took credit for passing the new Law.
I guess its the Dems fault for believing in Republican lies.
Thanks Obama

Marino issued a press release the next day claiming credit for the legislation.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ex-dea-agent-opioid-crisis-fueled-by-drug-industry-and-congress/

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Is that true for Planned Parenthood when they pay politicians to fuel legalized abortion? How about the people behind the legal pot movement? Just asking... Seems to me our system is based on bribery. If you have a problem with bureaucrats on a matter, who else will you seek help from if not representatives? If the representatives wants $$$ in exchange, thats on them... From what I understand of the issue, the OD epidemic is tied into the adulteration of drugs with fentanyl from China. The adulteration should be illegal, not access to the painkillers being adulterated.

The obvious solution is to get the money out of lobbying. It's a simple solution with a fiendishly tricky execution. For one, the supreme court right now is a-ok with the current situation. For another, people and businesses do have a legitimate right to lobby their politicians. Unfortunately we've set up a system where the prime incentive for politicians to act is political donations, followed by the incentive to get lucrative jobs in the industries they shill for on capital hill. This means legitimate political lobbying is drowned out by mountains of cash.

Although I do think a pretty straightforward way to fix this would be to publicly finance elections which I think would make it easier to ban political donations. Though with our supreme court I don't think this would actually fly.