PAIN PILLS ARE BIGGEST DRUG PROBLEM IN AREA

Times have changed and drugs have changed. As we Americans stand and defend
our country and wait for a better economy, a dark shadow looms over our
country.

The war on drugs began with the prohibition era of the 1920s. Today, the
Drug Enforcement Agency has become the main federal drug fighting power.
The DEA has become the strongest force against a Republican country's view
of what is wrong.

Rural America is facing a big drug problem and it's not drugs taken with a
needle or smoked. Pain medication is prescribed on a dally basis.

Studies show that far more pain pills are consumed in Eastern Kentucky than
in large cities. How could these be so prominent in a small, rural area?

The problem is large pharmaceutical companies have created pain medication
like OyxContin, which one Kentucky man dubbed "hillbilly heroin." The pain
pill industry has pushed and marketed their products on television and in
magazine ads. In some cases, they have even offered a percentage for
doctors willing to prescribe their addictive medications.

The drug problem as it exists in Kentucky is about paying for a corrupt
medical industry.

J.D. Blair

Ashland