>> we know that a lot of the d.e.a.y in the division to prevent uversion of these gs to the black market are now working at many of these drug compies in their diversion departmentand so ty're literally sitting across the table from where they used to sit where they were trying to op it,ow they're trying to convince the d.e.a. that these companies are w doil with stopping it and so we've seen years make the jump directlyt from the d.e.a. to these drug companies for muchmore lucrative jobs. >> steven rich, data editor of the washington post, thanks so much. >> thank you for having me. >> sreenivasan: news in and around the middle east these days is usually about conflict. but food writer yasmin khan set out to explore the region. through food. she collected recipes and tells the stories of palestinians in the west bank and gaza in her cookbook "zaitoun: recipes froms the palestinian kitchen." i spoke with her previously about her book and why she feels food can help foster cultural understanding.rk >> i've in human right

but when d.e.a.rs handed their evidence to the justice department, government lawyers, fearing a long uncertain legal battle, decided not to pursue the case in court, but to settle instead. >> whitaker: if you'd have gone after mallinckrodt for everything you saw them doing, what would the fine have been? >> rafalski: 2.4 billion dollars. >> whitaker: and the actual fine was? >> rafalski: 35 million. >> whitaker: the penalty amounted to less than one week of the company's annual revenue. mallinckrodt declined to do an on-camera interview, but told us it never sold oxycodone directly to dr. schultz, only to distributors. in a press release, the company denied "it violated any applicable laws," but said going forward it would analyze all internal data and identify suspicious sales. >> now, call to order. >> whitaker: now the pharmaceutical industry is coming under scrutiny. last year, a congressional committee called the heads of the five leading drug distributors, the middlemen that ship the pain pill

this change stripped the d.e.a.'s of its power to freeze suspicious shipments of opioids. i'm sure it was influenced by the pharmaceutical industry bill significantly reduced the enforcement efforts as far as holding drug companies accountable to drug companies were started to feel the heat both through d.n.a. and also in public opinion and so they want to hear they couldn't justify what they did so they want to head in and got a lead and got the legislation changed i mean it's you know on mean lyndon barbour who was our number one guy going after these drug companies now he writes a piece of legislation and he knew what it was it was what that piece of legislation was intended to do it wasn't about insuring patients having access to drugs it was about getting d.n.a. off the backs of these drug companies that's exactly what was. joran azizi was in charge of the diversion program joel rains easy absolutely check through it and when they didn't like what they heard didn't like it the way it sounded joe was removed from his position the ward was well we were playing nice with

dedicated a 15 member team to focus on the tenderloin and is bringing together agencies from the fbi, d.e.a., secret service, u.s. forest service all working with local law enforcement to crack down on drug dealers. >> as federal law enforcement, we have a wide array of tools that we can use. >> as many of you know parts of this great city are now known for what appear to be open-air drug markets. >> reporter: the drug enforcement agency saying the work is already underway, authorities today unsealed to three dozen indictments following a two-year investigation into two major drug operations and their leaders. the drug enforcement agency says both gangs worked the same way. with commuter drug dealers living in the east bay who had been carpooling or take public transportation into san francisco to deal drugs in the tenderloin. >> my 23 years of law enforcement i have not seen this type of model being used. >> reporter: randy shaw from the tenderloin housing clinic says he's encouraged to hear about the arrest and someone seemed to be taking drug dealing and the problems it causes seriously.

a look into findings from the d.e.a. opioid database. and an author's exploration of conflict-- through food. next on "pbs newshour weekend." >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. sue and edgar wachenheim iii. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the j.p.b. foundation. rosalind p. walter, in memory of george o'neil barbara hope zuckerber corporate funding is provided byutual of america--

--i ed to fully fund id .d.e.a. we need tosystem, properly fund our public schools so they have the resources to deal with special education. this is our future, we are not doing ourselves any favors by going cheap on public education and it is why that will be such an important priority for us. what about mitch mcconnell is the question. there are so many directions we can take that. i worked with a lot of republicans in my life. in indiana, i would not get much done if i did not work with republicans. to work across the aisle, there has to be good faith and the senate majority leader is not acting in good faith. as a matter of, principle, you would never vote on a nominee in an election year. there are two ways to answer this question. the second best answer is way -- we are going to box them out because our views are popular and i will fly air force one into the state of any senator blocking our agenda. things the american people want done, and remind the voters there senator is not speaking for them. the best an

should also pressure china to allow the d.e.a. and the f.d.a. to do their work. china's pledged to control fentanyl analogues are meaningless without enforcement. it's not just the american agencies, however. china's own drug regulating agencies need to be properly staff and funded. my final suggestion is that the u.s. should do more at home. china believes u.s. dedemand is driving the -- demand is driving the crisis. it has helped create the world's largest market for opioids. therefore, even if china reigns in the industries if american demand does not subside production will shift to other countries. advocates of arm reduction believe drug use is inevitable and that we must work to make it as safe as possible. i suggest much increased funding for medication assisted treatment for addicted users. in addition, first responders and others to encounter overdose victims should be better supplied with noloxon which should be available and affordable to everyone. users need better access to drug checking kits. these are inexpensive tests that inform users what's actu

he's dedicated a 15 member team bringing in agents from the fbi, the d.e.a., secret service, even u.s. >> those persons living and working and visiting the tenderloin neighborhood should not be required to run a gauntlet of crime. >> so far 32 people have been charged with working in two different trafficking operations. authorities say they lived in the east bay but commuted into the city to sell drugs. san francisco police had their own operation in the tenderloin today. the department released pictures of some of the evidence they recovered. police say officers from the tenderloin station arrested more than 50 people from fugitives to drug dealers. >>> hundreds were arrested in mississippi today in the nation's largest i.c.e. raid in a decade. the agents targeted several food processing plants in and around the state's capital of jackson. a total of 680 people were taken into custody. they are being processed at a military hangar. the plants targeted were coke foods and pico foods. there is no. >>> a bay area man was released from i.c.e. detention on monday after three months in cu

the d.e.a. says it will review 33 applications to grow cannabis. why does this matter? cannabis grower in this country. and the university of mississippi does not grow it in the way they grow it in colorado and washington. if i am going to study it, i need the real stuff. the 33 growers will be providing a little more market-grade marijuana, to help people find out what the effects are. i should add, and this is important, there's a catch-22 here. marijuana is a federal schedule 1 controlled drug, which means no medical value. you can't prove medical value until you let people research the medical value. until they open those doors, having the good stuff to study may not help researchers come up with the effects. >> the agency is allowing the growing of drugs? >> after many decades of only having the farmers at the university of mississippi. >> i should point out something here -- >> my dad is a drug dealer. >> he's going to tell us. one day, i want to hear that story. tony has talked about it. i'm not putting him on blast. saying anything -- >> that was colombian gold.

this change stripped the d.e.a.'s of its power to freeze suspicious shipments of opioids.'m sure it was influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. significantly reduced the enforcement efforts as far as holding drug company accountable to drug companies were started to feel the heat both through d.n.a. and also in public opinion and so they want to head they couldn't justify what they did so they want to head in and got a lead and got the legislation changed i mean it's you know i'm in london barber who was our number one guy going after these drug companies now he writes a piece of legislation and he knew what it was it was what that piece of legislation was intended to do it wasn't about insuring patients having access to drugs it was about getting d.n.a. off the backs of these drug companies that's exactly what was. in joran it seems he was in charge of the diversion program show in iran is easy absolutely object to it and when they didn't like what they heard didn't like it the way it sounded joe was removed from his position the word was we were playing nice with indu