John Katko: “I would like to briefly respond to some of the comments that were made by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.…”

“I would like to briefly respond to some of the comments that were made by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. First of all, when my colleague refers to sweeping new authority--I believe that was a quote--that the Attorney General has under this law, it must be made clear that it gives the Attorney General authority to list these substances temporarily on a controlled substance analogue list under schedule A. It also gives Congress 180 days to overrule the Attorney General at any time. That is a very potent and powerful check. This does not shift significant power to the Attorney General. I think that is important to note. My colleagues also noted several times that it would limit the research ability of individuals under this statute to research synthetic drugs. The Griffith amendment addresses this issue in a powerful and potent manner. It ensures and protects that individuals doing research can continue to do the research and will not be sanctioned or in trouble for doing that research. We have worked closely with the industry to get their input. More importantly, we worked very, very closely with Health and Human Services and the Drug Enforcement Administration to provide substantial input. Based on that input, we have made the adjustments that are now memorialized in the Griffith amendment. While we are talking here, let's keep something in perspective.…”