Prescription-drug abuse
Columbus Dispatch – A recent Dispatch article noted the high costs of prescription drug abuse in our state ("Prescription drugs sent 700,000 to ER, research finds," Feb. 28). Ohioans don't have to sit by and watch the prescription drug abuse problem grow. We can be proactive.
That's why my office has convened roundtables in Ohio with federal officials to solve this problem. I have urged the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to redouble its efforts to shutter "pill mills" where prescription drugs are dispensed for non medical reasons. I have also contacted President Obama to combat Medicaid prescription fraud which robs taxpayers and fuels drug diversion. The Medicaid Lock-In program that I proposed would make it harder to get prescriptions from multiple doctors and take those fraudulent prescriptions to a variety of pharmacies.
With these solutions, we can stem prescription drug abuse and save Ohio families while rebuilding our communities.
Sen. Sherrod Brown
Ohio
