Morning Journal – The headlines have appeared week after week in The Morning Journal: “Drug case nets dentist three years in prison.” “Two men arrested on drug charges during traffic stop.” “Pills reported stolen by men posing as federal drug agents.”

In all of these stories, prescription painkillers like oxycodone, morphine, and methadone — also known by brand names like Oxycontin or Vicodin — were involved. Prescription drug abuse affects more than just Lorain County, however. It is an issue that touches Ohioans all across our state.

Prescription pain medications are largely responsible for increasing numbers of overdoses and deaths in Ohio. Ohio’s death rate due to unintentional drug poisoning increased more than 350 percent from 1999 to 2008. Oxycodone and other opioids caused more overdoses in Ohio in 2008 than heroin and cocaine combined.

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