CONGRESS PUSHES OXYCONTIN FIGHT

Drug Enforcement Agency Told To 'Redouble' Efforts

WASHINGTON -- Congress is sending a not-so-subtle message to the federal
Drug Enforcement Agency to better coordinate its campaign against OxyContin
with state and local police.

Tucked into an appropriations bill approved late last week by the House and
Senate, the language directs the agency to "redouble" its efforts to assist
local law enforcement agencies. The agency also is expected to submit a
report to Congress by next Nov. 1, outlining a strategy for combating abuse
of the prescription drug painkiller.

Like moonshine during Prohibition, OxyContin use has welled up in many
communities in Appalachia and other rural parts of the country. Similar to
morphine or methadone and prescribed for severe or chronic pain, OxyContin
has become the "drug of choice," said Steve Neddo of the Metro Drug Unit in
Kanawha County. More than 100 people nationwide have overdosed on the drug
and died.

Neddo said the multi-agency drug task force has worked "hand-in-hand" with
the DEA. The federal agency has national resources to draw upon, while the
local task force offers local intelligence and officers on the ground.
"It's mutually beneficial," Neddo said of the relationship.

Interagency efforts to stop OxyContin abuse are part of a DEA action plan
drafted in April, said a spokeswoman. The plan, posted on the agency's Web
site, says the DEA should pursue partnerships with other federal agencies,
as well as with state, local and international law enforcement organizations.

Still, the legislation says members of the Appropriations Committee are
"disappointed with the lack of attention paid to assisting law enforcement
agencies at the local level." The provision was authored by Rep. Frank
Wolf, R- Va.

Wolf's House colleague, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said a strategy to
combat OxyContin is important because "the health of our families and
communities is at stake."

The spending bill for the Commerce, Justice and State departments includes
$1.5 billion in funding for the Drug Enforcement Agency. The bill also
contains to $2 million to help states develop prescription drug monitoring
programs that could track doctor, pharmacy and patient information for
prescription narcotics.

Writer Karin Fischer can be reached at (202) 662-8732.