{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://marino.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/marino-calls-clarity-and-effective-action-justice-department-and-drug", "Marino Calls for Clarity and Effective Action from Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration on Opioid Suspension Orders", "2017-12-14", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Tom Marino", "M001179", "marino.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013\u00a0Congressman Tom Marino (PA-10) called for greater clarity from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on the appropriate standards to trigger opioid distribution immediate suspension orders (ISOs) and echoed calls from witnesses at a hearing for more effective actions to combat the opioid crisis.\u00a0\nMarino noted the frustrations expressed by members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee at the testimony of Demetra Ashley,\u00a0Acting Assistant Administrator of the DEA\u2019s Diversion Control Division, that the agencies favored a change from the current \u201csubstantial likelihood of an immediate threat\u201d standard to trigger ISOs, but could not articulate what that change should be.\u00a0Ashley also commented multiple times that the agency has used \u201cforeseeable risk\u201d for years in investigations.\nThe \u201csubstantial likelihood\u201d standard was instituted, after negating with the agencies, in the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act, authored by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)\u00a0 and passed unanimously by both Houses of Congress and signed by President Barack Obama.\u00a0 Congressman Marino observed Ms. Ashley\u2019s expression of the DEA\u2019s current preference for the \u201cforeseeable risk\u201d standard in the initial version of the Act he had introduced in the House.\n\u201cI share the frustrations of my Senate colleagues over the shifting and unclear positions of the DOJ and DEA on the appropriate standard for immediate suspension orders,\u201d stated Congressman Marino.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s especially true given the near-unanimous agreement of witnesses at the hearing on the need to balance enforcement and access for pain patients and the fact that the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act has not hampered the agencies\u2019 effectiveness in any way.\u201d\n\u201cI agree with the Senators who called for DOJ and DEA to provide clear suggestions on the standard for ISOs, and believe that if a change is needed, the \u2018foreseeable risk\u2019 standard would be a reasonable starting place.\u00a0 At the same time, the agencies should heed the suggestions of witnesses to pursue more effective actions to clear out the bad actors fueling the opioid crisis, especially better data-sharing to spur collaboration between law enforcement agencies and distributors.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://marino.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/marino-calls-clarity-and-effective-action-justice-department-and-drug"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8702699560672045, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}