JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley has joined AGs from 10 other states to ask the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to set tighter production quotas on opioids.
Attorneys general from West Virginia, Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Florida, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, Mississippi, Utah and Missouri are requesting aggregate production quotas on controlled substances, specifically opioids, in 2019.
The coalition wrote a letter to the DEA on Sept. 19 to make a formal request and offer their opinions on combating opioid abuse.
| https://ago.mo.gov/home
Hawley said that he believes quotas for manufacturing opioids remain too high even though a 10 percent reduction is a good start.
“We must do everything we can to end the opioid epidemic that plagues Missouri and the country,” Hawley said on the Missouri Office of Attorney General website. “Reducing the supply of these deadly and addictive drugs is a common-sense action that can be taken now.”
The 11 state coalition hopes to reform the DEA's quota production system by focusing more on the medically necessary demand for opioids, as opposed to prescription sales.
The coalition is urging the DEA to consult with medical professionals and state regulators. The coalition believes that information from the states can be used to better adjust the quotas.