REP. JENKINS INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO REPEAL BILL HINDERING DEA

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues today to introduce legislation to empower the Drug Enforcement Administration to go after irresponsible drug distributors.

The legislation would repeal the provisions of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act that have hampered the DEA’s efforts to stop the delivery of opioids and other medications to suspicious distributors. This is the companion bill to legislation introduced by Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in the Senate.

The bill is also sponsored by Reps. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio).

“We need a DEA that is fully empowered to enforce opioid regulations and crack down on irresponsible distributors. I’m proud to join with Reps. Kuster, Cooper and Ryan to introduce this bill to repeal provisions of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act and ensure bad actors are held responsible for their role in the opioid epidemic in our communities,” Rep. Jenkins said.

“At a time when the opioid epidemic is impacting communities across the country, it’s critical that no tools are taken off the table,” Rep. Kuster said. “We know that the opioid crisis has in part been fueled by the over prescribing of opioid pain medications and any limitations on the DEA’s ability to get unneeded prescription drugs off the street must be eliminated. I’m pleased that we’ve been able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to introduce this bill to repeal provisions of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act, which DEA officials cite as restricting their ability to do their job.”

“It is clear that the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 has significantly and adversely affected the federal government’s ability to crack down on opioid distributors that are endangering communities across the country,” Rep. Ryan said. “I am proud to introduce this legislation with Congresswoman Kuster, Congressman Jenkins and Congressman Cooper which would repeal provisions of the legislation and restore the Drug Enforcement Administration’s authority to prohibit opioid manufacturers from flooding communities suffering from addiction with more pills.”