New Ohio director seeks to combat the state's rising prescription drug problem

Ohio Governor-elect John Kasich recently announced that he will name Orman Hall as the next director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, the Lancaster Eagle Gazette reports.

Kasich told the news source that because of Hall's expertise in prescription medication, he has tasked him with helping fix an opiate addiction problem that many throughout the state suffer from.

Hall added that prescription drug abuse prevention is his top priority coming into office, especially handling the misuse of painkillers such as Oxycontin. According to an in-state report from the Department of Health, approximately 1,500 individuals died from unintentional drug overdoses in 2008. Furthermore, opiates were found to be the main culprit in many of these deaths.

Boarding schools can help prevent children and teens from abusing prescription medication by offering individualized education designed to help them make healthy lifestyle choices.

A 2009 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 20 percent of high school students abused prescription medication, such as Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet.