Yeah it’s pretty weird. What is the production constraint they are hitting? Why can’t they keep up with demand? It’s not a new drug, you’d think amphetamine production would be easy by now. Curious if anyone knows what’s up with that.
Most international pharmaceutical companies have some presence in the US, so the US quota has a world-wide effect.
Additionally, prescriptions are for very specific doses of specific variants of the meds. Because it's a controlled substance, pharmacies aren't allowed to use any substitutes (not even something common-sense like dispensing 2x30mg for a 60mg prescription). This makes shortages happen even before all of the quota runs out, because some commonly used doses run out sooner.
Are they doing anything about that? Seems like a very tractable problem.
It does sound like the quota-setting system was designed for an era where the “legitimate” growth wasn’t on the order of “10% a year for 15 years”:
https://www.additudemag.com/adderall-shortage-dea-stimulants...
Instead of hoping for a Trump EO to nuke the DEA (literally or figuratively), why not redistribute Controlled Substance Act enforcement? Agencies like the FBI or HHS already handle overlapping domains. The DEA's rigid gatekeeping, especially on research and quotas, stifles innovation more than it curbs abuse.