“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.
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