U.S.

DOJ, DEA Want Drug Companies To Produce Less Opioids In 2019

The Trump administration wants to help battle the opioid crisis by lowering manufacturing quotas for six key drugs in 2019.

DOJ, DEA Want Drug Companies To Produce Less Opioids In 2019
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The Trump administration wants to help combat the nation's opioid crisis by reducing manufacturing limits.

The government sets production quotas for Schedule I and II drugs. On Thursday, the Department of Justice and the DEA announced their plan to lower the 2019 quotas for six of the most frequently abused opioids — including fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone.

new estimate from the CDC says over 72,000 people died of a drug overdose in 2017. The agency estimates nearly 48,000 of those deaths were caused by opioids. 

This is the third year in a row production quotas have been decreased for certain opioids. But that's just one way the Trump administration is trying to tackle the crisis. 

Attorney General Jeff Sessions created a team to focus on investigating doctors and pharmacies who push opioids. And the DOJ has joined some lawsuits that states have filed against some drug manufacturers. 

But Thursday in a Cabinet meeting, President Trump suggested going a step further. He wants Sessions to file his own federal lawsuit against certain companies who supply opioids.