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DEA Considers Reducing Prescription Drug Production In The US

To reduce the number of overdoses, the Drug Enforcement Administration might mandate that fewer opioids be manufactured in the U.S.

DEA Considers Reducing Prescription Drug Production In The US

By: Grant Suneson

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Officials think that cutting the number of drugs manufactured in the U.S. could be an effective solution to the country's opioid epidemic.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration proposed a 20 percent reduction in Schedule I & II drugs. Many of the cuts would go to opioids, like fentanyl, oxycodone and morphine.

The DEA said the reduction "reflects the total amount of controlled substances needed to meet the country's legitimate medical, scientific, research, industrial, and export needs."

In other words, it believes people who need the drugs for pain management could still get them, and those who use them recreationally wouldn't be able to.

An estimated 142 Americans are killed by a drug overdose every day. And the White House has made the opioid crisis one of its focal points.

The reduction is still just a proposal at this point. The DEA opened a 30-day public input period for the suggestion.