Columbus Plans To Distribute Prescription Drug Disposal Bags

Many people responding to proposed state rules regulating painkillers for chronic pain patients say those patients should automatically be given prescriptions for anti-overdose drugs. 

Ohio Governor John Kasich has announced new rules for monitoring the prescribing of opioid painkillers. 

Millions of Americans use opioids to relieve pain. But many also struggle with addiction.

This week, a report in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association, found that nonopioid painkillers — like acetaminophen and ibuprofen — were as effective as opioids at treating chronic back, hip and knee pain, and with fewer side effects.

There's more bad news about the nation's devastating opioid epidemic.

In just one year, overdoses from opioids jumped by about 30 percent, according to a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy says the number of painkiller prescriptions continues to decline. 

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy says a Clark County nurse practitioner accused of illegally issuing prescriptions for controlled substances has been indicted on drug trafficking charges. 

A state auditor's report looking at opioids' impact on Ohio's Medicaid program shows the number of recipients with an opioid-related diagnosis rose by 430 percent from 2010 to 2016. 

The fact that rural, economically disadvantaged parts of the country broke heavily for the Republican candidate in the 2016 election is well known. But Medicare data indicate that voters in areas that went for Trump weren't just hurting economically — many of them were receiving prescriptions for opioid painkillers.

Franklin County and Columbus Public Health officials plan to distribute bags that deactivate prescription drugs as part of the fight against the opioid epidemic. 

The Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County  has approved plans for a new drug detox and treatment center.

The Franklin County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board is making free naloxone kits available to the families and friends of heroin addicts.