Lisa Roberts of the Portsmouth City Health Department recently pointed to records that show Scioto County ranked second among Ohio’s 88 counties in deaths caused by drug overdoses and other drug abuses.

Only Montgomery County, in the Dayton area, has more.

Now comes a report that Scioto County is on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s watch list of the 10 most significant places in the nation for trafficking in illegal prescriptions for painkillers and other narcotics.

The illegal prescription drug trade is killing more Ohioans each year statewide, but the problem is worse in southern Ohio, administration officials said.

Barbara Howard of Portsmouth has experienced the problem in a heartbreaking way. Her daughter, Leslie Cooper, 34, died of an overdose in October.

“She got the prescription at a pain clinic in Wheelersburg. The pharmacists around here would not fill it. A lady who is, I suppose, called a ‘sponsor,’ paid for my daughter’s doctor visit, then took her to Columbus,” Howard said. “She got the prescription filled and gave the woman some of the pills. That was on Oct. 2. On Oct. 3, I got the call that my daughter was dead. She would have been 35 on the 20th of October.”

Another who has seen the problem up close and personal is Scioto County Coroner Dr. Terry Johnson.

“Shortly after I became coroner in 2002, I recognized drug abuse as a horrible problem that was crippling the health of our citizens and the economic prosperity of our communities,” Johnson said. “A large number of people were dying of drug overdose. Through forensic investigation, I determined the cause of death in far too many of our citizens to be drug overdose. Roughly half of the autopsies that I ordered were on deaths that I determined to be directly or indirectly related to drugs.”

Through toxicology studies, he said, he further determined which drugs were involved.

“What I found, typically, was a mix of prescription painkillers and nerve pills. The drugs that are ‘accidentally’ killing the people of Scioto County are those that must be obtained from a licensed provider,” he said.

Howard has no kind words for doctors who sell prescriptions for painkillers.

“The doctors who do this no longer place a value on a human life,” she said. “It’s all about the money. They are money-making racketeers, and until something is done people will continue to die.”

She believes her daughter became addicted to narcotic painkillers early on because of several very painful knee surgeries over the years, the first coming when she was only 5 years old.

“She had gotten off the pills lately and was doing good, going to church, when this woman showed up at church and wound up taking her to Columbus to get the pills,” Howard said.

Johnson has seen first-hand the lengths that addicted people will go through to obtain pain pills and mood-altering drugs.

“It is commonplace for an addicted person to sacrifice his own health and well-being to obtain what he ‘needs.’ It is typical for addicts to turn on spouses, subject their children to mental anguish and physical neglect, and to even steal the last means of support from their elderly parents,” Johnson said. “We shouldn’t be surprised that these addicted people will try to deceive good physicians or that they will flock in droves to physicians who dispense such medications freely.”

Drug Enforcement Administration statistics show deaths related to prescription drugs have soared in Ohio by at least 280 percent in the past decade. There were 524 such deaths reported in 2008, the latest data available.

Nationwide, about 7 million Americans are abusing prescription drugs, an 80 percent increase from 10 years ago.

“If we are to get to the root of this problem, there are some brutal facts that must be brought to light,” Johnson said. “Let’s start with this one: an addicted person does not necessarily see a physician as a healer. First and foremost, an addict sees a physician as a means to an end — as a tool — as a device through which (this) substance can be obtained.”

G. SAM PIATT can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 236.

Today

• Scioto County Board of Commissioners, meeting, Room 107, Scioto County Courthouse, 602 Seventh St., 9:30 a.m.

• Rush Township trustees, regular meeting, Rush Township Community and Maintenance Building, 71 Barker St., McDermott, 7 p.m.

• Bloom Township trustees, regular meeting, Pinkerman Building, 7250 Bennett Schoolhouse Road, South Webster, 7 p.m.

• Madison Town, regular meeting, 7 p.m. at the township hall on White Gravel Road, about a half-mile off Ohio 335.

• American Red Cross blood drive, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ohio River Valley Youth Center, 4696 Gallia Pike, Franklin Furance.

• Consumers Helping Consumers Thrift Shop, open, 725 Fifth St., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Veterans Helping Veterans & Others Thrift Store, open, 1525 Harrisonville Ave., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• James Dickey Post American Legion, 7-5 Court St., Portsmouth, 40 et 8 Promenade, 7 p.m.

• Hours, Portsmouth Library, 1220 Gallia St., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Lucasville Library, closed; New Boston Library, closed; Northwest Library, 13056 Ohio 73, Room 12, McDermott, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; South Webster Library, noon-8 p.m.; Wheelersburg Library, 10745 Old Gallia Pike, Wheelersburg, noon-8 p.m., at 5 p.m., “Chews a Card” Valentine Box Program for kids 12 and younger; registration is required; Computer Basics, Information Technology Department, Portsmouth Library, 1 p.m.; free yoga training program, 10 a.m. in the Copley Meeting Room at the main library;

Books ‘n Play, 11:30 a.m.; pre-registration is required. For more information or to sign up, call (740) 354-5562.

• Greenup County (Ky.) Public Library bookmobile — Greenup Home Health, Castle Marina, Kentucky 503, Kentucky 207, Douglas Hollow, Danleyton Baptist Church, Flatwoods, Russell.

• Greenup County (Ky.) Public Library bookmobile — Keystone Ridge.

• Overeaters Anonymous, 12-step fellowship, no dues or fees, Group Room A, Counseling Center, 1634 11th St., noon.

• Southern Ohio Museum, open, $2 donation, 825 Gallia St., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• New Boston Kiwanis, luncheon meeting, Kiwanis Housing, Rhodes Avenue, New Boston, 11:45 a.m.

• James W. Irwin American Legion, Ladies Auxiliary meeting, Legion Hall, South Street, Minford, 6 p.m.

• Alcoholics Anonymous, Shawnee group, closed discussion, New Boston Community Center, 3980 Rhodes Ave., New Boston, 8 p.m.

• Al-Anon, Bellefonte Behavioral Health Center, St. Christopher Drive, Russell, Ky., 8 p.m.

• Alcoholics Anonymous, Bellefonte Behavioral Health Center, St. Christopher Drive, Russell, Ky., 8 p.m.

• Narcotics Anonymous, the B-Free group, meeting, 15th and Waller streets; side door in the basement of Pleasant Green Baptist Church, 8 p.m.

• Alcoholics Anonymous, Big Book Study Group, St. Monica Catholic Church, 4252 Pine St., New Boston, 7 p.m.

• Narcotics Anonymous, open, nonsmoking, discussion, Stop the Insanity Group, in very back room, Room 17, New Boston Community Center, 3980 Rhodes Ave., New Boston, 7 p.m.

• Narcotics Anonymous, Honestly Dedicated Study, First United Methodist Church, 607 Main St., Greenup, Ky., 7 p.m.

• Alcoholics Anonymous, Great Fact Group, closed discussion, Kingdom Hall Community Center, 13th and Findlay streets, noon.

• Madison Township, Regular February meeting at the township hall on White Gravel Road approx. 1/2 mile off St. Rt. 335, 7 p.m.

New Boston Board of Education, Special Executive Session Meeting, in the Treasurer’s Office at Glenwood High School to discuss contracts, personnel and any other business, 7:30 p.m.

• VA Motor Coach, visiting to assist veterans, Veterans Helping Veterans & Others Thrift Store, 1525 Harrisonville Ave., 10 a.m.-noon.

• New Boston Kiwanis, luncheon meeting, Kiwanis Housing, Rhodes Avenue, New Boston, 11:45 a.m.

• Morgan Township 50 Plus Club, meeting, Senior Center, 7106 Big Bear Creek Road, 11 a.m.

• Green Township Over 55 Club, all area seniors invited, luncheon, bring covered dish to share, Senior Center, Franklin Furnace, noon-2:30 p.m.

• Scioto County Canal Society, meeting, available banquet room, Ramada Inn, Second Street, 7 p.m.; for information call (740) 353-8435.

• Lucasville Chapter Order of Eastern Star, stated meeting, Masonic Temple, Lucasville, 7:30 p.m.

• Scioto County Habitat for Humanity, 7 p.m., All Saints Episcopal Church, 610 Fourth St., Portsmouth. Questions, call (740) 353-4993 or e-mail sciotohabitat@gmail.com

To submit items, mail at least a week in advance of meeting to Calendar, Daily Times, 637 Sixth St., Portsmouth, OH 45662-0581. Items can be e-mailed to pdtnews@portsmouth-dailytimes.com. Include in writing the names of the club or sponsoring organization, time, day, date and complete address of event planned. For an item to be repeated in the Calendar, a new notice must be mailed in for each meeting date. The Times will not hold items for repeated use. Please do not call in items.