Durbin Discusses Opioid Quotas, Social Media Drug Distribution with DEA Administrator Milgram

Press Release

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today met with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram. Durbin commended Administrator Milgram for continuing to rein in the pharmaceutical industry's demand for excessive and unjustified manufacturing quotas for opioid pills. Durbin, along with U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), was the lead author of the 2018 law that enhanced DEA's opioid quota-setting authority by improving transparency and enabling DEA to adjust quotas to prevent opioid diversion and abuse while ensuring an adequate supply for legitimate medical needs.

In their meeting, Administrator Milgram also briefed Durbin on the proliferation of illicit drug distribution through social media channels, and on DEA's ongoing intelligence and enforcement activities surrounding fentanyl trafficking by international drug cartels and the money laundering networks that support them.

"DEA is tasked with the serious responsibility of responding to the opioid crisis," said Durbin. "I commend Administrator Milgram for her commitment to using data in this effort, including by adjusting the pharmaceutical industry's production quotas to reflect public health consequences."

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