According to the Ohio Department of Health, in 2016, Ohio saw a significant increase in the number of unintentional overdose deaths, largely due to increasing amounts of stronger synthetic drugs like fentanyl.
On the upside, while the frequency of overdose deaths due to illegal opioid use went up, the report also showed that prescription drug overdose deaths were at the lowest they’ve been since 2009.
Dr. Mark Hurst, medical director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and interim medical director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), attributes this recent decline in prescription opioid drug overdoses to the reduced number of opioid painkiller prescriptions.
Hurst says this is especially important, as overuse of prescription opiates often leads to the use of illegal opiates like heroin and fentanyl. So, with the reduction in overdoses from prescription opioid painkillers, a reduction in illegal opiate overdoses should follow.
“The continued increase in opioid-related deaths reaffirms that we still have much work to do,” Hurst says. “But, Ohio is still seeing important progress in reducing the number of prescription opioids available for abuse. This progress is significant because prescription opioid abuse is frequently a gateway to heroin and fentanyl use later on.”
According to ODH, Ohio is investing about $1 billion each year to help communities battle drug abuse and addiction at the local level, including funding to help increase access to treatment and prevention resources, and improve law enforcement practices.
The continued increase in opioid-related deaths reaffirms that we still have much work to do. ... But, Ohio is still seeing important progress in reducing the number of prescription opioids available for abuse. This progress is significant because prescription opioid abuse is frequently a gateway to heroin and fentanyl use later on.
Among these practices, Ohio is encouraging communities to purchase naloxone. The drug, also known by the brand name Narcan, can help stop an overdose as it’s happening. This offers the opportunity to link overdose victims with treatment plans instead of simply sending them to prison, and provide stable and safe halfway houses to help Ohioans struggling with addiction to recover.
While these practices are important, says Mark Partridge, many rural areas of Ohio aren’t seeing much help come their way. Partridge is chair and professor in The Ohio State University’s department of agricultural, environmental and developmental economics.
“Enacting new laws to take down pill mills and lessen access to prescription opioid drugs alone isn’t going to fix the problem,” Partridge says. “As it now stands, many people in rural areas of Ohio have extremely limited access to medication-assisted treatment, which is a particularly critical issue in the rural areas of southwest Ohio where opioid abuse rates are high, but local access to treatment is limited.”
According to a 2017 analysis from OSU, medication-assisted treatment has been shown to be a clinically effective and cost-efficient approach to treating opioid addiction. The most common medications used in the treatment of opioid addiction are methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. These medications can stop the effects of an overdose as well as help those recovering from addiction with symptoms of withdrawal.
Despite this, Ohio has only 26 certified methadone treatment centers and 377 doctors who are certified to prescribe buprenorphine.
Mike Betz, co-author of the report and assistant professor in OSU’s department of human sciences, also says the focus should be shifted away from closing down “pill mills and toward treating those who are already addicted to opioids.”
“We need a two-pronged approach,” Betz says. “Treatment, and a leg-up economically through investments in the education, skills, physical health and mental health of Ohioans.”
Emily Real is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
