Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. MARINO. Mr. Speaker, in early 2013, a pharmacist told me about problems he was having accessing necessary prescriptions for his customers, many of whom were older cancer patients suffering with chronic pain.

What started out as a simple conversation with a constituent soon turned into serious concerns about problems in the prescription drug supply chain, problems that we aim to address here today by passing H.R. 4709, the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act.

Any legitimate business involved in distributing or dispensing prescriptions welcomes appropriate oversight and regulation. Further, we know these businesses value a collaborative working relationship with agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies alike are on the front lines every day in the fight to end the prescription drug abuse epidemic. They are making efforts to educate prescribers and patients about the safe use and disposal of prescriptions and working to implement prescription drug monitoring programs that will reduce the illegal diversion of powerful opioid pain relievers.

Despite a strong commitment to being part of the

solution, distributors and pharmacists are finding that the unnecessary adversarial regulatory environment created by the DEA is putting effective enforcement outcomes in jeopardy.

As a former district attorney and United States attorney, I have fond memories of working with DEA agents to put away drug dealers. To say that I have the highest regard for the DEA and the work they do does not even begin to convey my respect for the agency and its front-line employees.

I actually went with agents and busted down drug houses. They were watching my back. I trusted them then, and I trust them now. That is why I am so passionate about this subject and why I think it is necessary to pass H.R. 4709 today.

This bill will bring much-needed clarity to critical provisions of the Controlled Substances Act. In doing so, we will ensure that the DEA's authorities are not abused and threatened by future legal challenges; foster greater collaboration, communication, and transparency between the DEA and supply chain; create more opportunities to identify bad actors at the end of the supply chain; and, most importantly, be certain that prescriptions are accessible to patients in need.

We are all in this together. We cannot enforce our way out of this epidemic. Education, treatment, and enforcement are all critical to addressing the problem, but so is collaboration.

The clarity that H.R. 4709 brings will ensure that the current regulatory culture evolves into one that rewards cooperation and brings more successful diversion control efforts in the future.

I want to thank my friend, Congresswoman Blackburn, for working closely with my team and me to develop the bill. I want to thank our champions on the other side of the aisle, Dr. Judy Chu and Representative Peter Welch, for their leadership and efforts to bring us here today.

We could not have achieved this without the efforts of Chairman Pitts and Chairman Upton and their staff on the Energy and Commerce Committee. I also must thank House Judiciary Committee Chairman Goodlatte for his forthright suggestions that made this a more effective measure worthy of consideration by this House.

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