Another reason why war on opioids is tough

Monday night it was Upper Darby. Tuesday night it was Radnor.

It could just as easily have been Pottstown, East Norriton, Lansdale, Phoenixville or West Chester.

On two successive nights, large audiences turned out to hear the stories and seek some answers to the epidemic that is washing across the region and nation.

No, the opioid scourge is not going away.

In Upper Darby officials have recorded almost 700 heroin overdoses in the township since the start of 2015. The death toll from opioid abuse now stands at 88, with the victims ranging in age from 18 to 70.

The next night in Radnor it was much the same: People seeking answers – and help in fighting this raging public health crisis.

All of which makes what happened the last few days in Washington, D.C., that much harder to believe.

U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, a Republican from northeastern Pennsylvania, withdrew his name from consideration to be the nation’s next drug czar, boss of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

And why would Marino, an early supporter of President Trump, be doing that?

Because a law he authored last year – and which sailed through both the House and Senate unanimously and was signed into law by President Obama – has a few problems.

The law was supposed to clear the path allowing those in need of legitimate pain prescriptions to be able to get their meds without interruption.

But an investigative report from The Washington Post and “60 Minutes” found it also did something else.

It made it nearly impossible for the Drug Enforcement Administration to halt the supply of suspiciously large opioid shipments to doctors and pharmacies.

In effect, it handcuffed the agency in charge of attacking the opioid crisis at a time when we’re racking up record numbers of opioid overdoses.

Elected and law enforcement officials increasingly are pointing to the link between legal – and highly addictive – opioid prescriptions, and the heroin crisis. People with legitimate injuries – and pain – get a prescription and quickly get hooked on these powerful painkillers. When the prescription lapses or gets too expensive, addicts hit the street looking for relief. They often find it in the heroin that is awash on our streets.

Counties are now taking several big pharma outfits to court for their role in the crisis.

The Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 in effect also ensures something else. It made it all but impossible for the feds to make any gains in attacking the flow of opioids onto our streets.

Marino, of course, claims the report was unfair. He withdrew his nomination nonetheless.

Now officials in Washington are scrambling to patch this messy blip on the war on heroin and opioid abuse.

Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6, of West Goshen, was one of six co-sponsors of the legislation.

He’s among those now trying to fix a flaw that almost no one noticed at the time.

“The legislation’s clear and stated intent was to have the DEA and distribution companies establish a clear understanding of enforcement standards, allowing for greater collaboration among stakeholders to address modern challenges to prescription drug abuse while still allowing patients with medical needs to have reasonable access,” Costello said in a statement.

That’s a mouthful, which almost everyone agrees with. Now the important part:

“If the purpose of the law is now not being realized, then we need to fix it.” You can say that again. Which reminds us of something that President Trump was known for saying. Trump vowed to “drain the swamp” in Washington, D.C.

You mean the kind of swamp where intense lobbying by drug firms and their cozy relationship with lawmakers smooths the way for legislation to sail through with almost no opposition – from either party, or the president – and be signed into law, only to find out that it has made the drug epidemic plaguing the nation even worse?

President Trump, you’re going to need a bigger drain.

And towns here in southeastern Pennsylvania and across the country are going to need that much more help in battling the opioid crisis.