Combating Opioid Epidemic is Topic of Missouri Narcotic Officers Meeting with McCaskill

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today met with Missouri narcotics officers today to discuss efforts to combat the opioid epidemic in Missouri. “As a prosecutor who launched one of the country’s first drug courts, I know firsthand the difficult, lifesaving work our narcotics officers do on the front lines combating the opioid epidemic,” said McCaskill, a former Jackson County Prosecutor. “This epidemic is affecting families and communities in every corner of our state, and the all-hands-on-deck approach our brave officers across Missouri deploy every day is one I’m really proud to support.” McCaskill launched the most comprehensive Congressional investigation into the opioid crisis to date earlier this year, requesting documents from opioid manufacturers in March, and adding additional manufacturers in July as well as expanding her investigation to include distributors’ role in fueling the epidemic. In September, McCaskill announced the first round of findings, detailing systemic manipulation of the prior authorization process by Insys Therapeutics. McCaskill recently introduced a bill repealing the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act of 2016 after media reports indicated that it had dramatically restricted the ability of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to crack down on opioid distributors suspected of wrongdoing. When McCaskill served as Jackson County Prosecutor, she was instrumental in the creation of one of the nation's first drug courts, which showed success in providing treatment for addicts facing non-violent drug offenses.