Drug overdoses killed 3,050 in Ohio last year

Accidental drug overdoses killed 3,050 people in Ohio last year, an average of eight per day, as deaths blamed on the powerful painkiller fentanyl again rose sharply and pushed the total overdose fatalities to a record high, the state reported last week.

More than one-third of those deaths—1,155—were fentanyl-related, which more than doubled from the previous year and increased from just 75 in 2012.

Authorities who had been targeting prescription painkiller abuse say the problem has changed quickly in recent years as users turned to heroin, fentanyl and even stronger drugs.

Republican Gov. John Kasich said stepped-up prescription monitoring and new guidance for prescribers helped sharply reduce opioid doses dispensed in the state, and said Ohio has other action in the works to curb prescription drug misuse.

He also wants more discussion about the dangers of drugs reaching children throughout their school years. The previous generation grew up accustomed to relatively easy access to prescription painkillers, which has fueled the epidemic, Kasich said.