SOLACE for Ohio and Appreciation for State's Relentless Drug Fighting Heroes

The "Mission Statement" of SOLACE is to reach people who have lost loved ones to drugs, to help the addicted make changes to their lives and to prevent future pain in the addict and family members.

Chief Charles Horner of Portsmouth, Ohio and Lisa Roberts, RN, Public Health Department -- both are saying to pill mill docs and drug dealers -- "Get out of Dodge now" -- "You are killing our kids." Photo: Marianne Skolek

(MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.) - I have written extensively about a town in Ohio called Portsmouth where a police chief by the name of Charles Horner and a public health nurse named Lisa Roberts are the Matt Dillon and Annie Oakley of their community. They cleaned up the pill mills destroying families and ran off unscrupulous doctors who were pushing narcotics and forgetting they took the Hippocratic Oath. The loss of life to the use of drugs -- such as OxyContin had all but leveled Portsmouth in death and addictions. What I need to mention now is Horner and Roberts had a posse -- the posse goes by the name of "SOLACE" -- Surviving Our Loss and continuing Everyday.

SOLACE was formed as a support and action group offering friendship, comfort and support to families who have suffered loss. They are very active in bringing awareness to the drug problem in their community and share stories and relieve their pain by helping others. SOLACE has also gained national attention by meeting with Governor John Kasich of Ohio to address the drug problem in Scioto County. Presently the members of the group are lobbying for Portsmouth to be given a police headquarters since the previous building was closed for health reasons -- mold and asbestos concerns. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august042011/ohio-oxycontin-ms.php  SOLACE campaigns for the police to have a facility because the "drug issues in Scioto County are so great."

The "Mission Statement" of SOLACE is to reach people who have lost loved ones to drugs, to help the addicted make changes to their lives and to prevent future pain in the addict and family members.

SOLACE is to be commended for being a "posse" in their community and working with Chief Horner and Lisa Roberts to accomplish the goal of closing down eight of nine pill mills in their town. My guess is that the ninth pill mill doesn't stand much of a chance of operating with the determination of these people.

In 1980, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) was formed. As a result of mothers and fathers fighting the epidemic of drunk driving in every state in the country, today the death rate from alcohol-related traffic accidents has declined. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol related deaths per year have declined from 26,173 in 1982 to 16,885 in 2005. MADD has argued that the group's efforts have brought about this decrease, because it claims that alcohol-related fatalities declined more than did non-alcohol-related fatalities.

Quite an accomplishment for parents taking control of what government had failed at doing. We know the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) do not have the manpower to police the drug epidemic in our country. Even if they did have the manpower, would they? They have allowed companies such as Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin to market for pregnancy pain, to conduct clinical trials on children as young as 6 years old of a dangerous drug (OxyContin) compared to Heroin, and allowed pain societies funded by pharmaceutical companies to push and market physicians in the "undertreatment of pain" in our country. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june052011/ohio-oxycontin-ms.php  This as narcotics flow freely from doctors' offices and unscrupulous pill mills are set up throughout the U.S. handing out drugs such as OxyContin for cash -- and no medical workup.

There are groups being organized such as "Parents Against Prescription Drug Addiction" out of Florida. They have a Facebook page and have been instrumental in drawing attention to the illicit pill mill operation in their state and making a difference in Florida. Also, another Facebook page is devoted to "Warriors Against Prescription Drug Abuse."

There is also an organization called "Advocates For the Reform of Prescription Opioids" (ARPO). Their website is indicated below.

http://www.rxreform.org/about-us/board-of-directors/

If MADD can make a difference in calling attention to the problem of drunk driving -- and accomplishing such goals as reducing deaths on the highways, don't you think organizing parents groups throughout the country to fight the drug epidemic would save our kids lives?

One teenage girl named Kayla sent me a poem from Portsmouth, Ohio after losing her mom to the drug epidemic. Below is a portion of the poem, she wrote:

"Dear Momma -- I miss the way you laugh. I just wish you could come back home to stay. No one could love me the way you do. Rest in Peace Mommy - My Sunshine."

We don't need anymore children missing their moms and dads to this epidemic of drugs -- and we certainly don't need more moms and dads losing their children. If it is out of the reach of the FDA and the DEA to combat this epidemic caused by pharmaceutical companies putting revenue ahead of lives, than parents have to be the Matt Dillons and Annie Oakleys in this country and fight this war with purpose.

To quote, Police Chief Horner - "Teamwork makes the dream work." I congratulate the Chief, Lisa Roberts and the dedicated members of SOLACE for winning battles in this war destroying our families.

LP - "If I know what love is, it is because of you." Herman Hesse

Salem-News.com Reporter Marianne Skolek, is an Activist exposing Purdue Pharma for their criminal activity in the promotion, marketing and over manufacturing of OxyContin throughout the United States and Canada. She began her work nine years ago after losing her daughter, Jill to prescribed OxyContin.

In July 2007, she testified against Purdue Pharma in Federal Court in Virginia at the sentencing of their three CEO's - Michael Friedman, Howard Udell and Paul Goldenheim - who pleaded guilty to charges of marketing OxyContin as less likely to be addictive or abused to physicians and patients. That same month she also testified against Purdue Pharma at a Judiciary Hearing of the U.S. Senate.

In working with the Department of Justice and Attorney Generals, Marianne has been instrumental in charges being lodged against Purdue Pharma. She also has been retained as a consultant with private attorneys working on behalf of victims and their families against Purdue Phama.

<Marianne is a leading authority on the marketing tactics used by Purdue Pharma through their funded pain societies such as the American Pain Foundation in pushing OxyContin for the "under-treatment of pain" in the United States and Canada. The under-treatment of pain is a marketing fallacy contrived by Purdue Pharma and allowed by the FDA. She continues to hold the FDA accountable for this epidemic of OxyContin and lobbies them to reclassify this narcotic to be prescribed for severe pain only - never moderate pain. To date, the FDA has turned a blind eye to the epidemic of death, addiction and abuse of this powerful narcotic. Marianne is a nurse having graduated in 1991 as president of her graduating class. She also has a Paralegal certification. She served on a Community Service Board for the Courier News, a Gannet newspaper in NJ writing articles predominantly regarding AIDS patients and their emotional issues. She was awarded a Community Service Award by the Hunterdon County, NJ HIV/AIDS Task Force in recognition of and appreciation for the donated time, energy and love in facilitating a Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS.

http://www.purduepharma.com/pressroom/app/news_announc/USGovt_reponse_Main.pdf

http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=2905&wit_id=6612

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/sebelius-response.pdf<

http://www.vawd.uscourts.gov/PurdueFrederickCo/default.asp

www.oxydeaths.com