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Pulling down the public database came in the wake of my Office's and the Inspector General's reports exposing DEA's repeated failures in fulfilling its statutory duties to the public," Morrisey wrote. "And the database concerns an issue that the Inspector General report specifically called out: DEA's years long failure to issue enough Immediate Suspension Orders, its 'strongest enforcement tool ... to stop registrants from diverting prescription drugs.'"

Morrisey noted that the decision comes at a time when opioid-related overdose deaths continue to skyrocket. According to the DEA's website, opioid deaths increased by 38% from Jan. 31, 2020, to Jan. 31, 2021.