An outspoken county commissioner from northern Pennsylvania says he'll challenge U.S. Rep. Tom Marino in next year's Republican primary, citing Marino's role in writing a law that critics say weakened the government's authority to stop drug companies from distributing opioids.
Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko announced his candidacy Thursday and accused Marino of soliciting campaign contributions from drug companies and then sponsoring legislation that allowed them to flood communities with opioids.
The bill passed without opposition in Congress and was signed by President Barack Obama last year. But criticism of the law in October forced Marino to withdraw his nomination to be President Donald Trump's national drug czar.
The fourth-term Marino defends the law as ensuring access to medications while allowing the Drug Enforcement Agency to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs.
