On Tuesday, Mayor Carlo DeMaria called upon President Trump and Congress to ensure that the nation’s Drugs Czar be free of financial or other connections to the prescription drug distribution industry.
The Mayor also called on Congress to repeal and replace the law passed in April of 2016 that stripped the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of critical enforcement authority barring certain drug companies from the distribution when the flagrantly violated laws to protect the public.
Mayor DeMaria wrote, “I am no stranger to the utterly destructive effects of the opioid addiction epidemic that has touched my community, the communities around us, and communities all across our country. That is why I was utterly outraged to watch this past Sunday’s 60 Minutes segment.”
Mayor DeMaria’s letter comes on the heels of a Washington Post and 60 Minutes investigation detailing how drug distributors successfully lobbied Congress to strip the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of its authority to prosecute the unlawful large-scale distribution of prescription opioids to “pain clinics” that emerged overnight in small towns.
Today, Representative Tom Marino of Pennsylvania’s 10th congressional district and lead congressional champion of the 2016 law, withdrew from consideration as President Trump’s nominee as the country’s next drug czar, or leader of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.