PORTSMOUTH — The Office Of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske will be in Portsmouth Sunday for a town hall meeting on drug abuse.

Kerlikowske is expected to join Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and other state and local officials at the Second Chance Center, 526 Fifth St., to discuss the impact of prescription drug abuse and the Obama Administration’s comprehensive plan to address prescription drug abuse through the National Drug Control Strategy.

According to a prepared statement from Kerlikowske’s office, the town hall meeting is an opportunity for community leaders to discuss how prescription drug abuse has impacted the local community, what the community has done to respond to the problem, and how federal state and local officials can work collaboratively to improve the safety and health of local communities.

“It is a town hall (meeting) and the goal is to hear from the residents of Portsmouth and other communities on the prescription drug abuse problem,” Lisa Hackley, spokeswoman for DeWine’s office, said. “Director Kerlikowske of the White House Office Of National Drug Control Policy will address the federal perspective and Mike DeWine will address the state perspective to combat the prescription drug abuse problem.”

Hackley encouraged those interested in the prescription drug abuse problem to come to the meeting and voice their concerns.

The meeting will be 6:30-8 p.m.