Since 2007, accidental drug overdoses have been the leading cause of injury death in Ohio, surpassing both motor vehicle crashes and suicides. On average, four residents die of a drug overdose each day.

But it’s not just the usual suspects — crack cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin — that are killing us. It’s also prescription pain medications.

A bill now moving through the Legislature could help the state get a grip on its prescription drug addiction problem, one the Ohio Department of Health calls an epidemic.

House Bill 93, introduced in February, has already cleared the House. Because it would help those in the health care community better regulate “pill mills,” places that distribute pain pills to people without a legitimate medical need, and monitor the flow of such medications in Ohio, it should be approved by the Senate and signed by Gov. John Kasich. …

The bill places limitations on in-office dispensing of controlled drugs and establishes new licensing requirements for pain management clinics.

It also requires the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy to improve Ohio’s Automated Rx Reporting System, an online database used by medical professionals and pharmacists to track who prescribes and dispenses what medication, and who is receiving it. …

The bill is not a cure-all. It doesn’t, for example, contain any treatment provisions for those dealing with prescription drug addictions.

But it does begin to address a serious problem on a statewide basis, which, if left alone, would only continue to destroy lives.

The (Findlay) Courier