Trump Says His Drug Czar Nominee Marino Doesn't Want the Job

US Congressman Tom Marino had been tapped to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which had stirred controversy.

US President Donald Trump has announced that Republican Congressman Tom Marino had refused to be nominated as the head the Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman," the US leader tweeted.

Rep.Tom Marino has informed me that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as drug czar. Tom is a fine man and a great Congressman!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 17 октября 2017 г.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of Virginia demanded on Monday that the White House pull the nomination. Manchin cited a recent Washington Post article that said Marino had led an effort to pass legislation to make it harder for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to stop companies from distributing opioids.

According to the Senator, Marino’s push for the bill made him unfit to serve as the head of the White House office that leads national efforts to stop opioid abuse in the United States.

More than 64,000 people died from opioid-related overdoses in the United States in 2016, according to preliminary data from the National Center for Health Statistics, including about 14,400 from prescription painkillers. Many have linked the over-prescription of the painkillers to the way that the US Veteran's Administration has treated post-traumatic stress disorder among returning servicemen.