West Virginia AG Calls for Transparency in Opioid Database Restriction

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey demands answers from DEA and Commerce Department on limiting public access to the Controlled Substances Act Registration Information Database, a "critical" tool in combating the opioid crisis.

The West Virginia Attorney General has raised concerns over the decision to limit public access to a crucial database on opioid provider registrations. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has called on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Commerce to explain their rationale behind restricting access to the Controlled Substances Act Registration Information Database (CSARID).

Previously available to the public, the CSARID provided real-time information on active and retired DEA registrations. However, since January 2021, the database has been restricted to a case-by-case, agency-approved basis only.

In a letter addressed to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, Morrisey expressed his "deep" concerns about the decision. He emphasized the database's significance as a tool for pharmacies to verify provider registration status before dispensing opioids and for public accountability in monitoring DEA registration decisions.

Morrisey pointed out that the decision coincided with his office's and the Inspector General's reports highlighting the DEA's repeated failures in fulfilling its statutory duties. These reports specifically raised concerns about the DEA's "years long failure" to issue enough Immediate Suspension Orders, a crucial enforcement tool to prevent registrants from diverting prescription drugs.

The Attorney General noted that the opioid crisis continues to escalate, with opioid-related overdose deaths skyrocketing by 38% between January 2020 and January 2021. West Virginia has faced one of the highest rates of drug overdose mortality in the country, with 90.9 deaths per 100,000 total population in 2021.

"Each of these realities should have been a reason to increase transparency, not to hide away DEA’s registration decisions from public review," Morrisey wrote in his letter. He stressed the importance of broad access to registration information not only for pharmacies but also for journalists and watchdog advocacy groups to hold the government accountable.

Morrisey demanded answers from the DEA and the Commerce Department regarding the decision rationale, the number of denied applications, and the criteria used to grant access to the database. He also urged immediate action to address these concerns and restore public access to the information.

The West Virginia Attorney General's Office has been actively investigating the role of federal regulators in the excessive overproduction of prescription opioids, a major contributing factor to the opioid epidemic. Morrisey's office has emphasized transparency and accountability in combating the crisis.

"Agencies should welcome public accountability and I trust they’ll do the right thing," Morrisey stated in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The DEA and the Commerce Department have yet to respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment on the matter.