|
 |
Springfield News Sun
Lt. Gov. Mary
Taylor: start talking about drugs abuse
By Parker Perry - Staff Writer
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Ohio Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor says she wants a broad fight against heroin
and opiate abuse in Ohio communities. Everyone has a responsibility to
fight the addiction epidemic that has killed thousands of Ohioans this
year.
This was the message of Ohio Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor, who in an
interview told the Springfield News-Sun the state government is
committed to fighting heroin and opiate abuse in the state.
“This is about people working together,” Taylor said. “We need law
enforcement, we need community leaders, community activists, educators,
students, teachers, coaches, business leaders, faith based leaders, law
enforcement … all of us working together to combat this problem.”
Statehouse officials have recently passed legislation that gives
officials more tools to fight addiction, Taylor said. Those tools
include having treatment facilities be licensed by the Ohio Board of
Pharmacy, increasing access to methadone clinics for
medication-assisted treatment, ensuring pharmacy technicians register
with the OBP and restricting high-volume prescriptions.
“We want to limit the number of pain pills that can be prescribed so we
can start to reduce the number of opiates on the streets being used for
illicit purposes,” Taylor said.
She said the state is working hard to put in measures that prevent
people from starting drugs. One way is through the ‘Start Talking’
initiative, which encourages Ohioans to begin talking about addiction
to family and friends. She said studies have shown people are much less
likely to begin using drugs if they have a mentor telling them not to.
She said she saw fifth graders at Ward Park-Wayne Elementary School
give a presentation about the dangers of heroin, and applauded their
interest in helping their community.
“Prevention is so important,” she said. “We are trying to tackle them
from every angle.”
While she said she is a supporter of small government and individual
choice, she said she feels the state does have a responsibility to help
fight the epidemic because it is impacting so many Ohioans. She said
the drug issue is also having a negative effect on Ohio’s economy, as
many employers are having a tough time hiring due to drug-use by
potential employees.
Read this and other articles at the Springfield News Sun
|
|
|
|
