The Drug Enforcement Agency on Friday proposed a 20 percent cut in opioids produced in 2018, partially in reaction to the ongoing opioid abuse epidemic.
The agency specifically wants to reduce production of schedule II opioid painkillers, according to a DEA press release. These include oxycodone, hydrocodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, morphine, codeine, meperidine, and fentanyl.
Demand for opioids has declined, which acting DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg attributes to better monitoring of their prescription and consumption.
"Physicians, pharmacists, and patients must recognize the inherent risks of these powerful medications, especially for long-term use," he said. "More states are mandating use of prescription drug monitoring programs, which is good, and that has prompted a decrease in opioid prescriptions."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had previously issued guidelines for doctors, which in part recommended reducing the number of opioids they prescribed.
Opioids remain a serious national health crisis in the U.S. In 2015, 2.6 million Americans 12 years of age or older were addicted to prescription opioids or heroin, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine; 33,000 of those who misused prescription opioids that year died, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50.