Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pennsylvania, removed himself from consideration for the position of America’s drug czar Monday after a joint investigation by the Washington Post and CBS 60 minutes revealed he helped push through legislation that emboldened opioid manufacturers and obstructed the Drug Enforcement Agency.
The bill Marino sponsored, the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2015, prevented the DEA from pursuing action against medical companies that were continuing to saturate the market with opioid medication that eventually spills onto the streets.
“He had weakened legislation governing what could be done by the DEA to enforce prosecutions against those who make opioids,” said Art Caplan, the director of the division of medical ethics at NYU Langone Medical Center, during an interview on Boston Public Radio Tuesday.
The Washington Post reported that millions of dollars were spent by the pharmaceutical industry to sway lawmakers to help them with their cause. “[Marino] was in the thrall of the industry. Basically, he succeeded in weakening the law,” Caplan said.
“This is a classic instance, [of] both Republicans and Democrats, in getting lobbied by manufacturing interests without really paying attention to what’s going on. People also basically didn't get the idea that you hold the manufacturer responsible,” Caplan said.
Caplan thinks that the pharmaceutical industry needs to undergo many changes if we are going to see a difference in the opioid epidemic. For starters, drug companies should face consequences for continuing to flood cities and doctors with abusable drugs.
“[Drug manufacturers] should have been prosecuted,” said Caplan. “I never understood why — this guy is the reason why. He drove this law through, basically giving them a loophole. It is good that he is not the [czar]."
Click above to listen to our interview with medical ethicist Art Caplan.
