Health News
- More Treatment Needed To Deal With Painkiller Abuse, Expert Witness Tells Senate Caucus; Mcconnell Says Jail Helps, Too
Addiction to prescription painkillers, and increased addiction to heroin by people originally hooked on prescription medicine, is "a public health disaster of catastrophic proportions" that "was caused by the medical community," the chief medical officer...
- Beshear Tells National Audience Legislature Should Pass Pill-mill Bill
Today, Gov. Steve Beshear again called on legislators to pass a bill Thursday that would crack down on so-called pill mills and thus curb prescription drug abuse. Speaking at the National Prescription Drug Abuse Summit in Orlando, Beshear asked for comprehensive...
- Lawmakers Hear Testimony About State's Pill Mill Problem, Discuss Whether To Put All Prescription-drug Issues Into One Bill
With a raid on a pain clinic in Paintsville making headlines yesterday morning, state legislators heard from community leaders and officials telling them to pass legislation to curb the proliferation of pill mills. Lois Windhorst, best known as a leader...
- Florida-to-appalachia 'pill Pipeline' Appears To Be Shriveling
Attorneys general from Florida and Kentucky say the prescription pill pipeline between the two states is beginning to close, reports Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader. They credit new programs and rules in Florida, but Kentucky AG Jack Conway...
- Substance Abuse Conference Will Be Held At Lexington Marriott Jan. 18-19; Attendance Will Be Limited To The First 250 Registrants
Seeking to build collaborations and partnerships to help deal with prescription drug abuse, a conference called "The Different Faces of Substance Abuse" will be held Jan. 18-19 at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington. The featured speaker Jan....
Health News
Legislators need to help cities tackle pill abuse, mayor says
Winchester's mayor is displeased with the Kentucky attorney general's recent finding that local governments do not have the right to ban pain clinics within their borders. "The opinion carries no legal authority, but it does represent a major roadblock for local governments," Ed Burtner writes. "It highlights the fact that local officials are limited to a reactive role in addressing the problems associated with prescription drugs abuse. That's unacceptable."
The Kentucky League of Cities supported three bills this year that would have regulated "pill mills," notes Burtner, who is on the league's executive board. None made it out of committee. "City officials throughout the state are committed to working with legislators, the Kentucky Medical Association and other interested parties to develop legislation that tackles prescription drug abuse head-on," Burtner wrote.
According to the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, the abuse of prescription pain relievers in Kentucky is second only to marijuana. Prescription drug-related offenses increased by more than 13 percent in 2008. (Read more)
- More Treatment Needed To Deal With Painkiller Abuse, Expert Witness Tells Senate Caucus; Mcconnell Says Jail Helps, Too
Addiction to prescription painkillers, and increased addiction to heroin by people originally hooked on prescription medicine, is "a public health disaster of catastrophic proportions" that "was caused by the medical community," the chief medical officer...
- Beshear Tells National Audience Legislature Should Pass Pill-mill Bill
Today, Gov. Steve Beshear again called on legislators to pass a bill Thursday that would crack down on so-called pill mills and thus curb prescription drug abuse. Speaking at the National Prescription Drug Abuse Summit in Orlando, Beshear asked for comprehensive...
- Lawmakers Hear Testimony About State's Pill Mill Problem, Discuss Whether To Put All Prescription-drug Issues Into One Bill
With a raid on a pain clinic in Paintsville making headlines yesterday morning, state legislators heard from community leaders and officials telling them to pass legislation to curb the proliferation of pill mills. Lois Windhorst, best known as a leader...
- Florida-to-appalachia 'pill Pipeline' Appears To Be Shriveling
Attorneys general from Florida and Kentucky say the prescription pill pipeline between the two states is beginning to close, reports Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader. They credit new programs and rules in Florida, but Kentucky AG Jack Conway...
- Substance Abuse Conference Will Be Held At Lexington Marriott Jan. 18-19; Attendance Will Be Limited To The First 250 Registrants
Seeking to build collaborations and partnerships to help deal with prescription drug abuse, a conference called "The Different Faces of Substance Abuse" will be held Jan. 18-19 at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington. The featured speaker Jan....