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Press Release Published: Oct 27, 2017

Gowdy Seeks Information on Effectiveness of Programs to Control Prescription Opioids

WASHINGTON – Today, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) sent a letter to the Department of Justice requesting information related to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) enforcement of controlled substance laws. In recent years, opioid cases pursued by the DEA have decreased, while opioid use in the country has increased.

Letter excerpts:

“The Drug Enforcement Administration, a component of the Justice Department, is the leading federal law enforcement agency tasked with enforcing the controlled substance laws of the United States, as well as related regulations.”

“Despite the dramatic increase in deaths related to opioids and the significant increase in the amount of prescription opioids sold, over the past five years there has been a decrease of DEA actions in this area.” 

“The Committee has questions about enforcement actions in the midst of a national opioid epidemic. The Committee is particularly interested in policies and decisions affecting the investigative cases and administrative efforts by the DEA’s Diversion Control Division, which is designed to ‘prevent, detect, and investigate the diversion of controlled pharmaceuticals and listed chemicals from legitimate sources.'” 

Full text of the letter here.

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