Hillsboro Times-Gazette - Bill May Help Fight 'Dramatic Increase' in Overdoses Here

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By Gary Abernathy

An amendment by U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) to make it easier for states to share information about the dispensing of prescription drugs passed the Senate on Thursday, and local law enforcement officials said Friday that it will be another tool to clamp down on trafficking and abuse issues.

The amendment was added to the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, and will help law enforcement fight prescription drug abuse - an issue particularly important across southern Ohio where the trafficking and abuse of drugs like oxycodone has reached epidemic proportions.

Adams, Scioto and Pike counties have been particularly hard-hit by the prescription drug problem, but Highland County and other neighboring communities have not been spared.

"We've seen a dramatic increase in overdoses in Highland County," said Sheriff Ron Ward on Friday. "They don't always result in death, but they're overdoses. And too often they do result in death."

Ward said the Portman amendment, if it becomes law, could help fight abuses of programs like Medicaid and workers comp as they are used to fund drug abuse, as well as "doctor shopping." Increasingly, traffickers are filling prescriptions out of state, especially in Florida, where lax laws have made it a favorite destination of those who fill prescriptions and then travel back to states like Ohio to sell the drugs on the black market.

Ward said he respects privacy issues in regard to individuals' medical records, but legislation targeting abusers "is nothing for law-abiding citizens to worry about. The goal is weeding out the abusers."

The sheriff said prescription drugs are "probably in the top three of abused drugs," as well as among drugs that are illegally purchased and stolen. "It's a huge problem in southern Ohio, and across the Midwest," said Ward.

"Anytime we can share information among all the agencies, it's helpful," said Ward.

Hillsboro Police Chief Nick Thompson said his department is continuing to hear about people "going to Florida from Kentucky to get scrips (prescriptions), and then coming to Ohio to try to fill them." He said local pharmacies are increasingly contacting police to report suspicious individuals showing up from Florida.

"We've needed this for a long time," said Thompson.

Thompson warned local residents to be careful about leaving prescription medication, especially painkillers, in their vehicles. His department receives regular reports of such thefts.

"The narcotics situation is out of hand," said Thompson, and it will likely continue "until we break the generational cycle" of drug abuse.

Thompson also lamented the dwindling resources needed for departments like his to operate DARE programs designed to teach students the dangers of drug abuse. Today, the sheriff's department is the only law enforcement agency left in the county able to maintain a DARE officer, said Thompson.

Greenfield Police Chief Tim Hester said, "Any additional tool is beneficial." Hester said prescription drug abuse, along with heroin and meth, continues to be a major problem.

"It's incredible," said Hester. "The number of overdoses is staggering. And these are young people, with their whole lives ahead of them."

Hester agreed that the Florida pipeline is a problem, and said pharmacies in Greenfield have been helpful in identifying suspicious prescriptions.

"We have a good working relationship with our pharmacies in Greenfield," said Hester. As in Hillsboro, Greenfield pharmacies will often refuse to fill dubious prescriptions from Florida, and will notify police of suspicious activities.

Hester said that while southern counties along the Ohio River have been especially hit by the drug problems, the situation has been making its way north. "The Pike County pill mills were right on our border," said Hester.

Hester said society needs to come to grips not just with enforcement, but with the treatment side of the issue, because "it's supply and demand, and as long as the demand is there, we'll have this problem."

Portman's amendment is based on S.2254, the Interstate Drug Monitoring Efficiency and Data Sharing Act of 2012 (ID MEDS), which was introduced by Sens. Portman, Whitehouse (D-RI) and U.S. Representative Hal Rogers (R-KY) earlier this year.

A second Portman amendment was also included in the FDA bill passed Thursday, changing the Controlled Substance Act to include synthetic drugs, in response to the growing epidemic of designer drug abuse. Synthetic drugs, which are chemically produced in laboratories and cause unpredictable side effects in humans, have dramatically increased in usage over the last three years.

"With prescription and synthetic drug abuse reaching epidemic proportions in the U.S, we need to work together to fight this problem, which is plaguing too many families and communities," said Portman. "In Ohio, there has been a drastic increase in the distribution of these drugs over recent years, to the point where overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death. Our amendments would strengthen states' ability to monitor and track prescription drug dispersion and make it harder for illegal synthetic drug distributors to operate, a big step forward in the fight against drug abuse."

Portman is the author of four anti-drug laws, including The Drug-Free Communities Act, which has provided millions of dollars of support to hundreds of community anti-drug coalitions round the country. Portman also founded and chaired an anti-drug coalition in greater Cincinnati, covering 10 counties in southwest Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.

Highland County could also benefit from the designation of neighboring Adams County as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), a development that was announced last October by Kerlikowske. Gaining that designation was also a top priority for Portman, who worked with federal and state officials, including Gov. John Kasich and Attorney General Mike DeWine, on making the goal a reality.

Scioto County, which has been ravaged by prescription drug abuse and associated pain clinics, or "pill mills," also received the HIDTA designation. Under the designation, the counties will be able to receive federal resources to assist in drug control efforts among federal, state, and local law enforcement officers in southeast Ohio.

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