DEA Addresses Ongoing Opioid Abuse Crisis with Operation Bottleneck
Addressing the ongoing opioid abuse crisis, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced the formation of Operation Bottleneck. In response to prescription painkillers fueling opioid abuse, the DEA acts against companies supplying these drugs. The administrative actions focus on six DEA-registered companies. Together, these six companies are responsible for more than a million doses of opioids that have gone missing. With no accounting for these drugs, the patterns reveal systemic abuse contributing to the opioid abuse crisis.
As a provider of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment services, Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC) is on the front lines of this crisis. Although TTC provides Medications for Addiction Treatment to bolster recovery services, the number of patients needing treatment continues to grow. Indeed, harm reduction practices and other innovative approaches are now in demand. However, government actions like Operation Bottleneck are required to stop the problem at its source.
Operation Bottleneck and Stopping Opioid Abuse
Given the national rise in accidental overdose deaths, the opioid abuse crisis is a priority. After all, unintentional overdoses eclipsed car accidents as the number one accidental cause of death for Americans under the age of thirty. Although illegal fentanyl abuse plays a huge role, the door to opioid abuse often begins with prescription painkillers. If prescription painkillers are being given out willy-nilly, then the American public remains at significant risk for opioid use disorder. Without proper controls and regulation, prescription painkillers are a gateway to further opioid abuse by young people exposed to these deadly drugs.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram highlights the challenge, saying, “These companies have a legal obligation to account for every dose and every pill to protect the safety and health of the American people. As we continue to face an unprecedented drug poisoning and overdose epidemic in the United States, which took 110,757 lives last year alone, DEA will continue using every available tool to prevent the diversion and misuse of opioids and other highly addictive controlled substances.”
DEA Administrative Actions and Operation Bottleneck
Therefore, Operation Bottleneck helps to address the ongoing opioid abuse crisis by dealing with problematic sources. For example, one company failed to account for more than one million dosage units of oxycodone. Such a failure often results in the diversion of prescription painkillers for profit to pill mills. As an easy way for people with opioid use disorder to access prescription painkillers, pill mills are a significant contributor to the opioid abuse crisis.
Since 2022, the DEA has taken 143 administrative actions against doctors, pharmacies, drug manufacturers, and drug distributors. These medical professionals put the public at risk by failing to handle controlled substances with the care required by federal law. Hence, the DEA remains committed to holding professionals accountable. Moreover, the goal is to ensure that these companies fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to them by the public. In addition, the focus is to prevent the diversion of controlled substances that harm American communities.
As a provider of SUD treatment services, TTC believes every medical professional is responsible for providing quality healthcare services. As a nonprofit organization with over fifty years of experience, TTC has a proven record of helping patients recover. If you or a loved one needs treatment for opioid use disorder in a trusted setting, please contact us today.