The DEA is cutting opioid production by 25%

The Drug Enforcement Administration is reducing the umber of opiate and opioid medication that may be manufactured in the United States.

In 2017, production will be cut by 25 percent. The DEA cites a decrease in demand for the medicine and the ongoing drug abuse epidemic.

The Aggregate Production Quote (APQ) established bu the Final Order is the total amount of a controlled substance necessary to meet the estimated medical, scientific, research, industrial, and export needs for the year and for the maintenance of reserve stocks.

The 2017 APQ has been reduced for oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, hydromorphone, morphine, and other such medications.  

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 650,000 opioid prescriptions are dispensed on an average day, and 580 people initiate heroin use.