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Strickland vows crackdown on prescription drug abuse ‘epidemic”
Gov. Ted Strickland on Friday, April 2, vowed a statewide crackdown on prescription drug abuse and issued an executive order to form a task force to develop a comprehensive strategy for battling the “epidemic.”
“Too many lives have been lost,” Strickland said at a Statehouse press conference. Unintentional drug poisoning has become the leading cause of injury deaths in Ohio, surpassing motor vehicle accidents, he said.
Possible strategies include licensing so-called “pill mills” that dispense prescription drugs for cash. The problem is particularly bad in southern Ohio, including Scioto County, Strickland’s home area, the governor said.
Local law enforcement agencies will be able to seek grants from a $250,000 pot of federal money at the Public Safety Department to help them fight the problem, Strickland said.
The task force, including state and federal officials and other stakeholders, is to report back to him in six weeks with a plan, Strickland said.
The Ohio State Medical Association praised the action.
“This problem needs a comprehensive solution, and the OSMA looks forward to working with the governor’s task force to help find that solution,” Dr. Wayne B. Wheeler of the OSMA said in a press release.
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By HUH?
April 7, 2010 10:11 PM | Link to this
So, Strickland is in rehab? FINALLY! Maybe he will start thinking clearly soon. WE CAN ONLY HOPE!