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Danger: Alcohol misuse in women

Do you remember the television commercial: “I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan. And never let him forget he’s a man”? If there is one thing that women don’t need to compete with men about in the pursuit of equality, it would be alcohol use/misuse. Early this past summer an NPR report informed the public of a very real problem: “For nearly a century, women have been closing the gap in alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and alcohol use disorder,” the article says. “What was nearly a 3-1 ratio for risky drinking habits in men vs. women is closer to 1-1 ...

One can kill: Alarming increase in deadly fake prescription pills

ALERT: The only safe pill is the one prescribed by your doctor and the pharmacy where you get your medications. There are people who would like you to believe otherwise, but here are a few words to the wise: One Pill Can Kill. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) last week warned that there is “an alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.” This is a national crisis, an emergency. Some 9.5 million of these fake pills have been seized from every state in the United States in unprecedented quantities ...

ARC helps build communities

Since 1965, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has collaborated with local and state partners to transform communities, create jobs, and strengthen the regional economy. Since becoming the ARC Federal Co-Chair in May, I take seriously my responsibility to work collaboratively with ...

Strategic approach used for collecting tax delinquencies

Over the past eighteen months, the pandemic has brought many challenges. For some, one of these challenges is the ability to pay bills. One of the county prosecutor’s many duties is representation of the county treasurer in the collection of delinquent real estate and manufactured home taxes. This is not a duty that our office takes lightly, as schools and other political subdivisions within our county rely heavily on revenue derived from real estate and manufactured home taxes. Recently, our office has coordinated with the county treasurer to adopt a strategic approach to dealing ...

Republicans ignore fairness with map

It was obvious Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman and House Speaker Bob Cupp, both Lima Republicans, were driving the Ohio Redistricting Commission’s plan to ignore a vote-approved constitutional amendment to draw fair state legislative districts. They seemed content to forego bipartisan support on 10-year maps. Instead they drew four-year legislative maps that don’t reflect voting trends in Ohio, which was a major item the commission was supposed to consider. Despite the concerns expressed by the three other Republicans on the seven-member board — Gov. Mike DeWine, Secretary of ...

When things are serious enough, we learn more

Everyone is aware of the substance misuse problem that has been labeled a public health epidemic. Everyone does not pause to think about more than the superficial: there is a drug problem. We don’t think beyond that until someone puts a new term in front of us, like “polysubstance dependence.” What does that mean? You ask with wrinkled brow. Polysubstance dependence is the mixing of multiple substances, with no particular preference. Alcohol is most commonly reported as a second abused substance according to published reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ...