Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has joined more than 40 other state attorneys general in asking Congress to repeal a law they say is "a step backward" in attempts to prevent opioid addiction and overdose deaths.
A letter signed Monday by 44 state attorneys general asks Congress to repeal the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act. The law requires the Drug Enforcement Administration to show cause before it denies, revokes or suspends a registration for a controlled substance act violation.
Hunter said Tuesday that law enforcement agents believe the law, in effect since April 2016, limits their ability to stop the flow of illicit drugs.
In June, Hunter filed a lawsuit against about a dozen pharmaceutical companies, alleging deceptive marketing campaigns have led to opioid addictions and deaths.