U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Judge: Opioid Distribution Data Not for Public Consumption

A federal judge has ruled that state and local governments cannot publicize federal government data about where prescription opioids were distributed — a blow to news organizations seeking to report more deeply on the nation’s overdose and addiction crisis.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is providing the information to state and local governments to use in their lawsuits against companies that make, distribute and sell the drugs. Sharing the data even with them came with a long list of conditions, including that it could be used only for law enforcement and litigation.

Cleveland-based Judge Dan Polster, who is overseeing more than 800 of the lawsuits in federal court, ruled Thursday that the data cannot be made public, saying that doing so would reveal trade secrets and “eviscerate” the terms under which the information was shared.

The federal government collects information on the distribution of all controlled dangerous substances.

Polster has scheduled the first trials in the matter to start in March 2019. He’s been pushing in the meantime for a national settlement. The drug industry and government entities — including states that have not filed lawsuits — have been negotiating for months even as the cases are prepared for trial.

News organizations, including The Associated Press, had asked for the data through public records requests made to local governments.

A West Virginia judge made some of the data public in 2016. The Charleston Gazette-Mail of West Virginia used it to report that 780 million pills flowed into the state of just 1.8 million residents over a six-year period. During that time, more than 1,700 West Virginians died from overdoses of opioids, a category of drugs that includes prescription opioids such as OxyContin and Vicodin, and illegal ones such as heroin and illicitly made fentanyl.

HD Media, owner of The Gazette-Mail, and The Washington Post argued in legal filings that disclosing the information might embarrass companies or government agencies, but that it would provide public accountability on behalf of people harmed by opioids.

Paul Farrell, a lead lawyer for local governments suing over the drugs, said the data would also show the public which pharmacies sold huge amounts of the drugs.

Combined, opioids killed more than 42,000 Americans in 2016, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DEA Targets Opioid Abuse with New Appalachian Field Office

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is targeting opioid abuse in Appalachia by establishing a new field office in Kentucky to oversee a region ravaged by overdose deaths.

The new Louisville field office will have a special agent in charge to oversee investigations in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.

It will improve efforts in the Appalachian mountain region and streamline drug trafficking investigations under a single special agent in charge, acting DEA Administrator Robert Patterson said during a news conference Wednesday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

D. Christopher Evans, an associate agent in charge in the DEA’s Detroit field office, will lead the new Louisville office.

Sessions said it’s the first restructuring of DEA field offices since 1998, when the agency created an El Paso, Texas, field office.

“Today we are facing the worst drug crisis in American history, with one American dying of a drug overdose every nine minutes,” Sessions said during the news conference in Washington. The Department of Justice also announced $12 million in grants for state and local law enforcement to combat heroin and methamphetamine dealers.

Designating Louisville as a field office and installing a special agent in charge will better align DEA with the U.S. attorney offices in the three states, according to a release.

The Appalachian region has been ground zero for the opioid problem in recent years. Overdose deaths were 65 percent higher among people in Appalachia than in the rest of the country in 2015, a recent Appalachian Regional Commission study found. The study, “Appalachian Diseases of Despair,” reported that nearly 70 percent of the overdose deaths in the Appalachian region in 2015 were caused by opioids. West Virginia had the highest opioid overdose mortality rates with 52.8 deaths per 100,000 people.

The new Louisville office will have a total of 150 positions with 90 special agents in the three states. The restructuring involved moving the three states out of other DEA divisions to place them under the Louisville office. The Louisville office will begin operations on Jan. 1.

DEA Unveils Strategy in Charleston – Huntington Area

The United States Drug Enforcement Administration announced Wednesday that the Charleston to Huntington area is the next to be a part of a ground breaking initiative.

The program is called the 360 strategy. Its purpose is to help cities dealing with the heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic and the violent crimes that are associated with it. The new strategy focuses on integrating law enforcement, diversion control, education and prevention and community outreach.

The strategy uses a three-pronged approach to fight drug trafficking and abuse. First the DEA says they’ll work to change attitudes through community outreach by partnering with medical professionals and members of the education community to educate the public on the dangers of drug misuse and heroin abuse. Second, the organization will work to more clearly communicate with drug manufacturers, doctors and pharmacists to increase awareness of the drug issues in the area and facilitate responsible prescribing techniques.

And third, the DEA says they’ll provide leadership by targeting drug trafficking organizations and violent gangs supplying the drugs. Soon the DEA will host a forum to bring all the parties together.

W.Va. to Participate in Eleventh Drug Take-Back Day

Law enforcement agencies across West Virginia will participate in a national event Saturday attempting to get unused prescription drugs out of homes where they could potentially be abused.

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency and Department of Justice sponsor several National Drug Tack-Back days every year. Saturday’s event marks the 11th annual event.

The events aim to provide a safe, convenient and responsible method of disposal while also educating the general public about the potential for their abuse.

Events in West Virginia will take place at several locations from 10 am to 2 pm Saturday. To find a drop off location near you, visit the federal DEA’s website.

Public Invited to Attend Film Viewing About Drug Addiction

The public is invited to attend the viewing of a new documentary about drug addiction.

The Exponent Telegram reports the film, “Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict,” is slated for its first public viewing in West Virginia on April 7 at 6 p.m. at Fairmont State University in Fairmont.

The documentary was produced by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

FBI Community Outreach Specialist Holly Henry says the film documents the stories of multiple people, from young addicts to soccer moms, who battled addictions.

It was first screened about a month ago in the District of Columbia.

Thursday’s viewing will be followed by an interactive discussion.