Kasich begins war on Rx-drug abuse in Scioto County

By Marc Kovac | February 22, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Governor John Kasich

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio

Vowing to “drive the devil out of Scioto County,” Gov. John Kasich signed an executive order and announced new funding for efforts to combat a rampant prescription-drug epidemic in southern Ohio.

“We really believe that Scioto County can be the tip of the spear … to begin to engage a battle that frankly most Ohioans don’t even know … is raging,” Kasich told an audience gathered at a Portsmouth counseling center Monday. “But it’s for real, and it’s taken a lot of people down and it’s destroying a lot of people and of course a lot of families and a lot of children.”

Kasich was joined Monday by Orman Hall, the director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, and Betty Montgomery, former state attorney general who is serving as a special adviser to the governor in fighting prescription-drug abuse.

They announced a new coordinated effort among state agencies to focus on the issue.

The governor also signed an executive order allowing increased use of new federally approved medications to treat people trying to kick prescription-drug addictions.

He also announced an initial investment of $100,000 and potentially $300,000 more to be dedicated to drug treatment efforts at a private nonprofit center in Portsmouth.

The state is targeting Scioto County because of the increased incident of prescription-drug abuse in the area. Last year, some 9.7 million doses of prescription painkillers were dispensed — roughly 123 doses for every man, woman and child in the county.

“We believe if we can win it in Scioto County, we can spread it throughout all of Ohio,” Kasich said. “And we believe if we can make some gains here in Ohio that this will allow us to be engaged nationally and to let people nationally know that there are things that can work.”

He added, “Failure is not an option in Scioto County.”