Beshear and Other Governors Working Together to Fight Prescription Abuse

by Dan Conti, Kentucky Public RadioKentucky 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 that brings prescriptions to the area."We're going to work with the Governor of Kentucky, the Governor of West Virginia, I've already talked to the Governor of Florida," he says. "Winning the battle against opiates, which destroys so many of our families, has to be won."The meeting comes the week after Beshear and Florida Governor Rick Scott testified on the issue in Congress. Scott began the year with plans to block a system for tracking prescriptions in Florida, but has since reversed his stance. The White House Drug Czar has called on state and federal officials to work harder to stop prescription drug abuse. The federal plan to curb illegal prescriptions focuses on education, law enforcement and prescription tracking systems like the one in Kentucky, and the one proposed in Florida.