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Donald Trump's pick for drug czar withdraws amid claims he made opioid epidemic worse Donald Trump's pick for drug czar withdraws amid claims he made opioid epidemic worse
(35 minutes later)
Donald Trump's pick for drug czar has “withdrawn his name from consideration” after reports saying the legislator had damaged the US's efforts to counter a prescription painkiller epidemic, the President has said. Donald Trump's pick for drug czar has removed his name from consideration for the role after reports saying the legislator had damaged the US's efforts to counter a prescription painkiller epidemic. 
Republican Congressman Tom Marino, Mr Trump's nominee to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy, had championed a bill that effectively prevented federal agents from being able to stop the spread of addictive opioid drugs.  “Rep Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar,” Mr Trump said in a Tuesday morning tweet. “Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman!”
“Rep.Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar,” Mr Trump said in a Tuesday morning tweet. “Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman!” The Republican congressman from Pennsylvania – Mr Trump's nominee to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy – had championed a bill that effectively prevented federal agents from stopping the spread of addictive opioid drugs, according to a report by the Washington Post and CBS' 60 Minutes. 
On Monday, the President had promised to reverse his nomination of Mr Marino to if “it's 1 percent negative to doing what we want to do.” On Monday, the President had promised to reverse his nomination of Mr Marino if “it's 1 percent negative to doing what we want to do.”
“As far as Tom Marino, so he was a very early supporter of mine, the great state of Pennsylvania. He's a great guy,” Trump said during a Rose Garden news conference Monday afternoon. “I did see the report. We’re going to look into the report. We’re going to take it very seriously because we’re going to have a major announcement probably next week on the drug crisis and on the opioid massive problem, and I want to get that absolutely right… We're going to be looking into Tom.” “As far as Tom Marino, so he was a very early supporter of mine, the great state of Pennsylvania. He's a great guy,” Mr Trump said during a Rose Garden news conference Monday afternoon.
“I did see the report. We’re going to look into the report,” the President continued. “We’re going to take it very seriously because we’re going to have a major announcement probably next week on the drug crisis and on the opioid massive problem, and I want to get that absolutely right… We're going to be looking into Tom.”
According to the Post and 60 Minutes, Mr Marino was the top legislator advocating for the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act. The law made it essentially impossible for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to freeze suspicious narcotics shipments from drug distribution companies to “corrupt doctors and pharmacies” for use on the black market, the news outlets reported. According to the Post and 60 Minutes, Mr Marino was the top legislator advocating for the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act. The law made it essentially impossible for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to freeze suspicious narcotics shipments from drug distribution companies to “corrupt doctors and pharmacies” for use on the black market, the news outlets reported. 
The DEA had opposed the bill, while pharmaceutical drugmakers had fiercely lobbied on its behalf. The law passed in 2016 after Republican Senator Orrin Hatch negotiated a final version with the DEA, the Post and 60 Minutes said.  The DEA had opposed the bill, while the drug industry had fiercely lobbied on its behalf. The law passed in 2016 after Republican Senator Orrin Hatch negotiated a final version with the DEA, the Post and 60 Minutes said. 
At the time, the opioid crisis had claimed the lives of 200,000 people – more than three times the number of military deaths during the Vietnam War.  At the time, the opioid crisis had claimed the lives of 200,000 people – more than three times the number of US military deaths during the Vietnam War.
Since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids – including prescription opioids and heroin – quadrupled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency reported that the number of prescription opioids sold in the US had also nearly quadrupled since 1999, but that there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain Americans report. 
Mr Trump has made it one of his priorities to fight the opioid epidemic. In August, while speaking in a conference room at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, the President promised to “protect innocent citizens from drug dealers that poison our communities.” 
Shortly after, he moved to declare the crisis a national emergency, but the administration has not undertaken specific actions on the issue since then. 
“The opioid crisis is an emergency and I'm saying officially right now it is an emergency,” the President told reporters in August. “We're going to draw it up and we're going to make it a national emergency. It is a serious problem, the likes of which we have never had.”
Democratic senators on Monday called for the President to withdraw Mr Marino's nomination. Democratic senators on Monday called for the President to withdraw Mr Marino's nomination. 
“Confirming Representative Marino as our nation's drug czar is like putting the wolf in charge of the hen house,” Mr Schumer said on the Senate floor.“Confirming Representative Marino as our nation's drug czar is like putting the wolf in charge of the hen house,” Mr Schumer said on the Senate floor.