While prescription drug abuse continues to prevail in Athens County and throughout Ohio, Gov. John Kasich passed legislation earlier this month targeting the problem.
Kasich signed Ohio House Bill 93, known as the “Pill Mill” bill, into law May 20.
The bill is part of Kasich’s fight against prescription drug abuse in Ohio, according to a news release from his office.
“If you overprescribe, we’re going to come get you,” Kasich said at a May 20 press conference. “This is about our children. It’s really about Ohio families.”
The bill will allow law enforcement, along with medical and pharmacy boards, to have more authority, said State Rep. Debbie Phillips (D-92nd).
Law enforcement officers will now be able to monitor the prescription drug systems, making it easier to identify the “mills.”
A “pill mill” is the term for a doctor who overprescribes drugs to a patient or someone who goes to multiple doctors to get prescription drugs, Phillips said.
Opiate prescriptions in Ohio have increased 900 percent during the past 10 years, said Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson, chief of communications for the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, which sponsored the measure.
“The huge increase in opiate prescription has to be a direct correlation to addiction increase,” Frohnapfel-Hasson said.
The department will work to educate people about the dangers of overprescribing and prescription drugs.
“(The department) believes that education is key to reducing addiction. People should know to only take what pills they need and get rid of the others, ” she added.
Prescription drug abuse is a significant problem in Athens County, Phillips said.
“There has been a spike in prescription drugs in the county,” Phillips said, adding that it has also led to an increase in heroin use. People who do not have enough money to get prescription drugs switch to heroin because it is cheaper, she said.
The bill was unanimously supported by the Ohio General Assembly and passed through the House and Senate in four months, according to the release.
“It’s good to see a bipartisan bill have support from both parties to create solutions,” Phillips said.
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