Addiction researchers eager for $20M infusion eyed by governor

COLUMBUS >> Ohio researchers in drug abuse and addiction say they’re impressed and energized by Gov. John Kasich’s proposal to infuse up to $20 million into scientific breakthroughs that he envisions helping to solve the national opioid crisis.

During Tuesday’s State of the State speech, the Republican governor sought to liken the potential of such treatments and technologies to past pioneering innovations in Ohio, such as those by Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers.

“The crisis of drugs continues to change, so our efforts to fight it will continue to change,” Kasich said.

“Through thick and thin, we’ve got to stay unified, supporting one another.”

Accidental drug overdoses killed 3,050 people in Ohio in 2015, 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.

Kasich is asking the Third Frontier Commission, which supports Ohio’s technology and research economy from a voter-approved bond fund, to invest as much as $20 million in identifying and promoting existing, proven ideas that need an extra push to be brought to market.

Researchers at top-tier Ohio institutions, including Cleveland Clinic and Ohio State University, said such research is already underway and can benefit from a financial boost.

Among the ideas are special patient monitoring technologies; a device attached to the ear that relieves pain and blocks the effects of opiate withdrawal; deep brain stimulation; and a combination of physical therapy and psychological therapy.