STATEHOUSE (Dec. 20, 2012) – State Sen. Ron Grooms (R-Jeffersonville) joined Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller Wednesday for the 3rd annual Prescription Drug Abuse Symposium.  

State legislators, law enforcement officials, health professionals and other community leaders met to discuss the growing prescription drug abuse problem in Indiana and potential legislative solutions. Indiana is one of only two states that does not currently have laws monitoring prescribing practices for addictive pain medications.

“Prescription drug abuse in our state has become worse than the national average,” said Grooms, who practiced at and owned a pharmacy in Jeffersonville for 37 years.  “Lawmakers hope to address this growing concern by introducing legislation aimed at cracking down on pain clinics that overprescribe addictive pain medications.”

Just this month, Indiana has suspended the licenses of two operating pain clinics, one in Jeffersonville and one in Fort Wayne, for dangerous prescribing practices.

Today’s event, “Targeting Strategies to Curb the Epidemic in Indiana,” was hosted by the Indiana Attorney General’s Office along with the Drug Enforcement Administration, PATCtech digital forensics and the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County.