Gardner, Lance propose bipartisan, bicameral bill to create national drug clearinghouse

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) seek to end America’s opioid crisis by reducing the disparate shipments of prescribed controlled substances to certain pharmacies around the nation.

Sen. Gardner and Rep. Lance on July 26 introduced bipartisan legislation in both chambers that would require the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to establish and oversee a national clearinghouse for such orders.

“The Drug Enforcement Agency is on the frontlines in the war against illegal use and distribution of opioids and other prescription medications,” Rep. Lance said. “Congress needs to give the DEA more tools to help respond to emerging and changing tactics.”

The DEA Clearinghouse Act of 2018, S. 3282 / H.R. 6600, would amend the Controlled Substances Act to require that all controlled substance orders pass through an automated database, which the DEA would monitor to identify suspicious orders and notify suppliers before the orders are filled. U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) are original cosponsors of the bill in their respective chamber.

Currently, no such formal central database exists that guards against prescription drug diversion and protects the integrity of the supply chain, according to a joint July 26 statement released by the lawmakers.

The proposal would “help stop the bad actors who are diverting pills to users and dealers and flooding our communities with prescription opioids,” said Rep. Lance.

According to Sen. Gardner, the DEA a few years ago determined that “a major drug company was shipping enough prescription opioids to the San Luis Valley for every man, woman, and child to have 30 to 60 pills per month.”

“Stories like these are becoming all too common, and it’s time for Congress to do more to protect communities being devastated by undetected prescription drug diversion,” he said. “I’m hopeful that my bipartisan measure with Senator Coons can help in our fight against this epidemic.”

Sen. Coons and Rep. Matsui noted that the legislation would consolidate data from opioid manufacturers and distributors to guarantee real-time systems are in place to flag and stop suspicious activity for the DEA and for them.

“We are taking an important step in what needs to be continued, comprehensive work to fight the opioid crisis,” said Rep. Matsui.

The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association supports the DEA Clearinghouse Act of 2018, which has been referred to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and to both the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.