Oct 10 Local News Officials Frustrated With Meth Lab Proliferation From Dan Conti, Kentucky Public Radio The deputy director of the Operation Unite anti-drug program says his officers are spending so much time cleaning up meth labs, there’s not much left for other drug interdiction efforts. Dan Smoot says meth production is such a problem in southern and eastern Kentucky right now that police have […] By Rick Howlett Oct 10 Local News Officials Frustrated With Meth Lab Proliferation Rick Howlett
May 24 Local News Drug Czar Says Kasper Isn’t Enough to Fight Drug Abuse by Dan Conti, Kentucky Public Radio Kentucky’s system for tracking prescription drug sales is “forward leaning” but it’s not enough to curb abuse. That’s according to U.S. Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske. Speaking to the Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, Kerlikowske said the system, known as KASPER, and similar initiatives in other states work well, […] By WFPL News May 24 Local News Drug Czar Says Kasper Isn’t Enough to Fight Drug Abuse WFPL News
Apr 26 Local News Ohio Police Chief Discusses Appalachian Pill Pipeline on Diane Rehm Portsmouth, Ohio Chief of Police Charles Horner was among the guests discussing prescription drug abuse on the Diane Rehm show today. You can listen to it here. Horner says prescription overdose death’s in Ohio’s Scioto County have quadrupled in the last few years. Ohio Governor John Kasich recently met with Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to […] By Gabe Bullard Apr 26 Local News Ohio Police Chief Discusses Appalachian Pill Pipeline on Diane Rehm Gabe Bullard
Apr 19 Local News Beshear and Other Governors Working Together to Fight Prescription Abuse by Dan Conti, Kentucky Public Radio Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Ohio Governor John Kasich met today to discuss their states’ efforts to fight prescription drug abuse. Many of the prescription drugs abused in eastern Kentucky and neighboring regions come from Florida. Kasich says the governors must come together to stop the so-called pill pipeline […] By Gabe Bullard Apr 19 Local News Beshear and Other Governors Working Together to Fight Prescription Abuse Gabe Bullard
Apr 19 Local News White House Drug Czar Puts Emphasis on Fighting Painkillers The fight against prescription drug abuse has been a contentious topic in Kentucky, but it’s gaining attention from federal officials who unveiled a new plan to crackdown on so-called “pill mill” pipelines. From the AP: The federal government on Tuesday announced its first-ever comprehensive strategy to combat the abuse of oxycodone and other opioids, aiming […] By WFPL News Apr 19 Local News White House Drug Czar Puts Emphasis on Fighting Painkillers WFPL News
Apr 19 Local News Ohio Governor Joins Beshear Against Prescription Drug Abuse by Dan Conti, Kentucky Public Radio Ohio Governor John Kasich says he’ll be meeting with Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear on Tuesday to talk about ways the two states can join forces to fight prescription drug abuse. “We’re going to work with the governor of Kentucky, the governor of West Virginia (and) I’ve already talked to […] By WFPL News Apr 19 Local News Ohio Governor Joins Beshear Against Prescription Drug Abuse WFPL News
Apr 15 Politics Beshear Considering Mandatory Pill-Tracking System After testifying before a U.S. House committee on the so-called pill pipeline, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear says the state needs to consider making its prescription drug tracking system mandatory. On Thursday, Beshear addressed lawmakers about illegal pills abused in eastern Kentucky. Federal law enforcement officials estimate that 60 percent of those prescription come directly from […] By WFPL News Apr 15 Politics Beshear Considering Mandatory Pill-Tracking System WFPL News
Apr 14 Politics Conway, Mongiardo Praise Florida Governor’s Reversal on Prescription Tracking Reacting to a congressional panel on the “pill mill pipeline”, Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Dan Mongiardo and Attorney General Jack Conway praised Florida Governor Rick Scott for supporting the creation of a prescription drug monitoring system in his state. On Thursday, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear told WFPL that Scott assured him that Florida would initiate a […] By WFPL News Apr 14 Politics Conway, Mongiardo Praise Florida Governor’s Reversal on Prescription Tracking WFPL News
Apr 13 Politics Beshear and Florida Governor to Discuss Prescription Abuse Before Congress Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Florida Governor Rick Scott disagree over how best to fight prescription drug abuse, and on Thursday morning, both men will address the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the issue. Beshear and various state and federal officials have encouraged Scott to rethink his plans to cut an as-yet-unimplemented prescription pill tracking […] By Gabe Bullard Apr 13 Politics Beshear and Florida Governor to Discuss Prescription Abuse Before Congress Gabe Bullard
Apr 1 Politics Conway Asks Floridians to Support Prescription Tracking Program A letter from Conway appeared in Friday's Sun Sentinel newspaper. It asks readers to lobby their state lawmakers to keep the program. The letter comes days after Scott announced plans to use federal grant funds from the new healthcare law to create a task force to fight prescription abuse. By Gabe Bullard Apr 1 Politics Conway Asks Floridians to Support Prescription Tracking Program Gabe Bullard
Mar 2 Local News NPR Covers Florida Prescription Tracking Controversy On Monday morning, Greg Allen reported on Florida's prescription drug abuse problem for Morning Edition. Allen calls Florida the epicenter of the abuse epidemic, and then details Florida Governor Rick Scott's plans to cut a proposed prescription tracking program. By Gabe Bullard Mar 2 Local News NPR Covers Florida Prescription Tracking Controversy Gabe Bullard
Feb 22 Local News Drug Czar Weighs In On Meth, Prescription Drug Abuse In Kentucky Florida Governor Rick Scott has proposed cutting a program that would track prescription drugs in his state. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Congressman Hal Rogers have asked Scott to reconsider. Office of National Drug Control Policy director—or Drug Czar—Gil Kerlikowske says Florida needs to fight the prescription drug trade, since pills from that state are sold and abused in Kentucky and elsewhere. By Gabe Bullard Feb 22 Local News Drug Czar Weighs In On Meth, Prescription Drug Abuse In Kentucky Gabe Bullard
Feb 22 Local News Beshear Asks Florida Governor To Keep Prescription Tracking Program Governor Steve Beshear is the latest Kentucky official to ask Florida Governor Rick Scott to rethink his plans to cut a prescription drug tracking system. It's estimated that many of the prescription pills that are abused in eastern Kentucky come from Florida, and Beshear follows Congressman Hal Rogers in asking Scott to keep the program funded. By Gabe Bullard Feb 22 Local News Beshear Asks Florida Governor To Keep Prescription Tracking Program Gabe Bullard
Feb 18 Local News Rogers Asks Florida Governor To Keep Prescription-Tracking System In Place Scott has asked the Florida legislature to cancel the program before it launches. The program was approved in 2009 and is meant to crack down on so-called pill mills that supply drug dealers and addicts with prescriptions. Both Rogers and Scott are Republicans, and Rogers says residents of his district and of Florida are dying from overdosing on drugs that originate from pill mills. By Gabe Bullard Feb 18 Local News Rogers Asks Florida Governor To Keep Prescription-Tracking System In Place Gabe Bullard