News Release

September 6, 2005

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The DEA's War on Prescription Painkillers

The Cato Institute will be hosting the half-day conference "Drug Cops and Doctors: Is the DEA Hampering the Treatment of Chronic Pain?" on Friday, September 9 at 9:00 a.m. in the F. A. Hayek Auditorium. The conference will look at the Drug Enforcement Administration's aggressive plan to eradicate the illegal "diversion" of certain prescription painkillers and what effects these efforts are having on doctors, patients and the treatment of pain.

The event will feature Ronald T. Libby, professor at the University of North Florida and author of the Cato Policy Analysis "Treating Doctors as Drug Dealers: The DEA's War on Prescription Painkillers," Richard Payne, M.D., director of the Duke Institute on Care at the End of Life and Siobhan Reynolds, president of the Pain Relief Network.

They will contend that the DEA's anti-diversion campaign has focused too narrowly on doctors, exacerbating the already widespread problem of untreated or under-treated pain. Well-meaning doctors are finding themselves subject to costly, potentially career-ending investigations and in some case, are being sent to prison, the panel will argue.

Lunch will be served following the meeting. The Cato Institute is located at 1000 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.

The event is public and open to the media. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. You may register online.