Painkiller prescriptions drop in some Ohio counties

COLUMBUS (AP) — Officials say the number of prescribed painkiller doses and drug-related deaths decreased last year in the southern Ohio county regarded as the epicenter of the state’s prescription drug-addiction problem.

The Columbus Dispatch reports nearly 1.5 million fewer pills were prescribed in Scioto County in 2011 than in the previous year, marking a 15 percent drop. The coroner says the county also had about a dozen fewer drug-related deaths last year.

Neighboring Gallia County had about 472,000 fewer doses prescribed, marking a 12 percent drop.

The preliminary numbers come from the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy’s automated reporting.

State and local officials say a new law cracking down on pain clinics and an education campaign have contributed to the declines. They say they’re cautiously optimistic.