Election 2011 Issues: Kentucky attorney gen. candidates on prescription drug abuse

 
Kentucky has a prescription drug abuse problem. In fact, according to a study released by Forbes in 2010, Kentucky ranks fourth in the “most medicated states”. West Virginia was first, followed by Tennessee and Alabama.
Individuals from all walks of life; pre-teens to the elderly, rich and poor, those educated and those not are affected in some way by illegal use of prescriptions. The prescription drug problem in Kentucky is a hot-button topic for both the current attorney general,  Jack Conway and his 2011 opponent, Todd P’Pool.
As attorney general, Conway has already instituted some changes to try to lighten the abuse of prescription drugs. According to his website, in 2009, Conway launched Kentucky’s first statewide prescription drug task force. His office also participated in the largest drug bust in Kentucky history and worked with Florida’s attorney general to ensure the state adopted an electronic monitoring program to stop the Florida drug pipeline.
Most recently at a news conference at police headquarters in Lexington, as reported by the Herald Leader; Conway, along with Governor Steve Beshear and House Speaker Greg Stumbo announced three new initiatives to help get a handle on the epidemic of prescription abuse in KY.
These initiatives include training sessions for the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure on using data gathered from the state’s prescription monitoring system to help pinpoint suspicious controlled substance prescription writing, a re-vamp of the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting (KASPER) system and a series of educational clinics for pharmacists and health care providers to learn about prescription drug abuse and how to use KASPER more efficiently.
P’Pool also has ideas on taming Kentucky’s rampant prescription drug problem. P’Pool believes in community and faith-based programs for addiction, as well as supporting the measures against abuse already in place, according to campaign manager David Ray.
In a recent interview, Ray said that P’Pool was also for updating the KASPER system. P’Pool also supports “e-tracking”; monitoring the distribution of prescriptions in real time, possibly resulting in drug abusers being caught in the act of obtaining a prescription illegally, instead of days, months or weeks later.
The last measure mentioned by Ray was P’Pool’s support of a lifetime ban from buying pseudoephedrine (a main ingredient found in crystal meth) if one is convicted on a methamphetamine manufacturing charge.
Both candidates recognize the dire straits Kentucky is in with regard to prescription abuse. Regardless of who wins, Kentucky will have an attorney general who recognizes the problem and has given possible solutions to said problems. Being ranked fourth is usually a positive thing; unfortunately for Kentuckians, this isn’t about the best beach. It’s about a state with people dying by the hundreds due to abuse of prescription drugs.