This is the 2nd in our 4 part series with the former head of the Office of Diversion Control for the DEA, Mr. Joseph Rannazzisi. We began this series by talking about the surprisingly candid report released on December 19th, 2018 by the Energy and Commerce Committee titled “Red Flags and Warning Signs Ignored: Opioid Distribution and Enforcement Concerns in West Virginia”. The purpose of the report was to investigate allegations of “opioid dumping” in West Virginia.
In today’s podcast with Mr. Rannazzisi, who for over a decade was the front man in the government’s battle against the opioid epidemic, you’ll hear an in-depth conversation about how the diversion controls, that were supposed to be in place to protect the public from “opioid dumping”, failed in epic proportions. He gives a candid account of the friction and distrust that emerged between DEA and the DOJ that resulted in a breakdown in their ability to protect the American public from shipments of mass quantities of opioids, previously flagged as suspect. He’ll share his unfiltered comments on the passage of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Enforcement Act, a game-changing piece of legislation and you’ll learn about the people who were responsible for the legislative win for the pharmaceutical industry.
Mr. Rannazzisi offers his insights into the inter-workings of the Office of Diversion Control. As the department’s former leader, he was responsible for cracking down on doctors, pharmacies, drug manufacturers and distributors who did not follow the nation’s prescription drug laws. You may recall him from the 60 Minutes story titled “The Whistleblower” last fall.
Greg is joined on this episode by guest, award winning investigative reporter, Pat Beall from the Palm Beach Post. Pat won Journalist of the Year for her work on The Post’s coverage of the heroin crisis, including profiles of the 216 people who died in 2015 from heroin-related overdoses, calculation of the cost of hospital care related to heroin treatment and a story linking Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to a fraudulent drug-screening company.
Listen to this podcast, the second in our 4 part series, for a behind the scenes look at who was behind law changes that helped fuel America’s opioid epidemic.
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