A major push by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to crack down online drug abuse has landed in the Oval Office, where it is being seen as a way to improve public health, even as a federal judge blocks its implementation.
A draft executive order signed by President Donald Trump last week aims to crack up online drug markets that have flourished amid a surge in prescription painkillers, including fentanyl and hydrocodone.
It is the latest step in a broader effort by Trump and DEA officials to address the rising epidemic.
Trump has vowed to crack the opioid problem, which has led to a surge of deaths and millions of overdoses.
“We’re going to take the drugs off the street and we’re going see what happens,” Trump said during a speech in February.
The DEA is the primary agency in the U