prescription Rx abuse passes

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) has announced that the Ohio House of Representatives has voted to accept Senate changes to House Bill 93 — which will combat prescription drug abuse and reduce the widespread prevalence of “pill mills.”

House Bill 93 will enhance the current Ohio Automated Rx Review System (OARRS), which was established in 2006 to assist health care professionals in identifying drug-seeking behaviors to provide additional oversight. It will also limit prescribers’ ability to personally furnish certain controlled substances, enact Medicaid reforms to improve consumer education and allow for better care coordination, improve licensing and law enforcement for pain-management clinics, and develop a statewide prescription drug “take-back” program.

“I am delighted with the final passage of this vital bill, and with the spirit of legislative cooperation in which it was done. This bill has unanimous support here in the House and in the Senate as well. That is exactly how we must continue to attack this terrible problem of prescription drug abuse,” said Johnson, a physician and former Scioto County coroner. “Rest assured that I will continue to fight, that I will not rest as long as people are affected by this scourge as victims of drug-related crime, through addiction, or illness or through death. Enough is enough!”

Among Senate changes to House Bill 93 are modifications to the definition of “pain management clinic,” delay on the prohibition on pain management operation without a license by 30 days, and permission for the Bureau of Works Compensation to access OARRS, among other additions.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the country and the second-most common form of illicit drug abuse among teenagers in the U.S., second only to marijuana.

In Ohio, unintentional drug overdoses surpassed motor vehicle crashes and suicide as the leading cause of injury death in Ohio. It has also been reported that the highest rates in the state for these deaths are in southern Ohio, where seven of the 10 counties with the highest death rates are located.

House Bill 93 passed unanimously and will now move to Governor Kasich for his signature.