Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture or distribute highly addictive pain pills have hired dozens of officials from the top levels of the Drug Enforcement Administration during the past decade, according to a Washington Post investigation. The hires came after the DEA launched an aggressive campaign to curb a rising opioid epidemic that has resulted in thousands of overdose deaths each year. In 2005, the DEA began to crack down on companies that were distributing inordinate numbers of pills such as oxycodone to pain-management clinics and pharmacies around the country. [continues 2457 words]
Experts: Oft-Cited Report Exaggerates Mexican Drug Traffickers' Reach When Sen. John McCain spoke during an Armed Services Committee hearing last year on security issues in the Western Hemisphere, he relayed a stark warning about the spread of Mexican drug cartels in the United States. "The cartels," the Arizona Republican said, "now maintain a presence in over 1,000 cities." McCain based his remarks on a report by a now-defunct division of the Justice Department, the National Drug Intelligence Center [continues 2061 words]
Measure Could Delay Treatment, Some Say Babies born with drugs or alcohol in their blood would automatically be taken from their mothers' custody under legislation before the D.C. Council, part of wide-ranging revisions proposed for the city's child protection system. Unveiled yesterday, the proposal is dividing the child protection community between those who believe babies should be safeguarded at all costs and those who call the measure Draconian and say it would result in more infants being exposed to drugs and alcohol. They argue that mothers may avoid prenatal care out of fear they would lose their children. [continues 538 words]
