Constantine to leave DEA - Brief Article

The pharmacy industry may have an opportunity for a fresh start with the Drug Enforcement Administration now that administrator Thomas Constantine is leaving. The DEA has been quick to assess civil penalties on pharmacies for record-keeping violations, which the pharmacies considered niggling. Congress slapped the DEA's hands very lightly last fall. For example, it lowered the maximum civil penalty for which the DEA could ask from $25,000 to $10,000. John Rector, senior vice president of the National Community Pharmacists Association, said that at a minimum, the industry will have a chance to voice its concerns at Senate confirmation hearings for Constantine's successor, who has not yet been named.

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