What are we going to do with Opioid Tom?

Marino has been a friend on Capitol Hill of the giant drug companies that distribute the pain pills that have wreaked so much devastation in our 10th Congressional district.

Marino was the chief advocate of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act, which requires the government to meet a higher bar before taking certain enforcement actions.

On September 1, 2017, it was announced Marino would be nominated as the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) by the Trump Administration. On October 17, 2017, Marino withdrew his name from consideration following "a Washington Post-'60 Minutes' joint investigation that highlighted his support for legislation that weakened the government's ability to go after drug companies, something critics say has contributed to the nation's opioid crisis. ... Marino was a leader in passing the legislation last year that made it tougher for the Drug Enforcement Administration to stop suspicious shipments of prescription drugs."

Among other things, the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act changed the standard for identifying dangers to local communities, from "imminent" threats to "immediate" threats. That change cramped the DEA's authority to go after drug companies that didn't report suspicious — and often very large — orders for narcotics. A joint report by The Washington Post and 60 Minutes found that Marino's measure helped pump more painkillers into parts of the country that were already in the middle of the opioid crisis. The bill had been opposed by the DEA and embraced by companies in the drug industry.

Write or call Tom Marino - thank him for making sure that everyone in his 10th district has easy access to all the pills that are killing us. Representative Tom Marino (R) https://marino.house.gov/ 2242 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515

Hamlin office Tel: 570-689-6024 Fax: 570-689-6028 Washington DC Tel: 202-225-3731 Fax: 202-225-9594