After more than a decade of allowing the problem to go essentially unchecked, the state of Ohio is sending a strong message to physicians who operate clinics that are essentially “pill mills.”

This is a welcome change that will have a strong impact on the quality of life here in southern Ohio.

A variety of search warrants were executed earlier this week in Scioto County and several physicians had their abilities to prescribe certain narcotics suspended.

The DEA contends that one of the doctors in question is one of the largest dispensers of controlled substances in the United States.

It is important to remember that no one has been arrested during this latest operation and everyone should always be presumed innocent until actually charged with a crime and proven guilty in a court of law.

Couple this crackdown with the legislative efforts that are ongoing at both the state and federal level and you have an exciting show of progress.

For far too many years the focus was purely on law enforcement, while doctors who abuse the system were given free reign. This was the classic case of treating the “symptoms” but ignoring the “disease.”

That has stopped now.

We are taking the fight to the “disease.” State legislation to address this issue is pending the governor’s signature and there is a variety of other laws in various stages that could help fix the problem on a local, state and national level.

It appears we are finally ready to start fighting the “war on drugs” on the right battlefields.