Ironton Tribune: Drug Czar Comes To Southern Ohio
On Sunday evening, 10 July 2011, Director Gil Kerlikowske of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) visited Portsmouth and hosted a town hall-style discussion on prescription drug abuse.
Fittingly, the meeting was held in the auditorium of the newly dedicated Second Chance Center, a facility that offers hope for people recovering from addiction.
Invited to sit on the panel with the Director of ONDCP were U.S. Senator Rob Portman, U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Chief Ken Parker, Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine, Director of Ohio’s Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Orman Hall, Scioto County Health Commissioner Dr. Aaron Adams, and me.
The auditorium of the Second Chance Center was packed. Interested folks came from near and far.
Our local Prescription Drug Action Team was well represented with many members in the audience, as well as a number of people from our Surviving Our Loss and Continuing Everyday (SOLACE) group.
After a welcome by Dr. Adams, Orman Hall, the master of ceremonies for the evening, introduced the panelists, starting with Director Kerlikowske.
Kerlikowske praised our local efforts to fight this problem, which he says is spreading to all parts of America at an alarming rate. He said that our problem has gained national attention, and what we are doing to fight back is an inspiration to the entire nation.
Attorney General Mike Dewine also applauded the efforts of our local citizens, and introduced former Adams County Prosecutor Aaron Haslam, lauding his efforts as a prosecutor focused on attacking the criminal aspects of the drug problem. Dewine has built a team around Haslam; pursuing these cases is their only task.
Dewine pledged continued support from his office, calling the prescription drug problem a scourge that must be ended.
Sen. Rob Portman spoke, providing an update on his efforts to help local and state officials obtain federal grants, to facilitate communication across state lines, and on his efforts to establish a national drug reporting system that will make Ohio’s current data base much more effective at stopping “doctor shoppers” and “pill mills.”
He also offered encouraging words on the possibility of bringing our local area under a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) designation, which could bring much needed resources to bear.
What the senator said was so important because that sort of federal help and interstate cooperation will be crucial in the months to come.
Scioto County Health Commissioner Dr. Aaron Adams, a central leader in our local fight who gained nationwide attention when he declared the prescription drug abuse problem in Scioto County a “public health emergency,” spoke passionately about where the struggle has been and where it needs to go.