After nearly four years in self-described “FOIA University,” freelancer Phil Eil’s public record education is approaching graduate level status. The evidence records of Dr. Paul Volkman - whose “pill mill” court case sparked an “epidemic” discourse around prescription drug use in America - took years to obtain from the Drug Enforcement Administration, and even then, the majority of materials were withheld. Now, with the help of the Rhode Island ACLU, Phil is immersed in a court battle for full disclosure. We first spoke with Phil last year, and we caught up with him again for this week’s Requester’s Voice.

Phil Eil’s story is one of classic FOIA frustration — enthusiastic investigation brought to a halt by the inefficient system upon which it depends. The topic, broadly, is the climate of prescription drug abuse in America. “It’s a subject that’s clouded with so much emotion, misinformation, and suspicion, which is all the more reason to talk about evidence,” Phil described in a recent phone interview with MuckRock. “But that evidence hasn’t been released.”