Aaron Haslam Chosen to Head State Medical Board

Aaron Haslam will begin his job as executive director for the State Medical Board of Ohio on July 1^st. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Haslam was formerly the man who led the crackdown on prescription drug abuse while working in Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office. Specifically, Haslam targeted physicians throughout the state whom he suspected were over-prescribing or wrongfully prescribing prescription strength painkillers. Haslam is also a former Adams County prosecutor. Prescription drug abuse is a known problem in the United States. According to data from the National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health (NSDUH), about a third of all people in the country over the age of 12 began using drugs by first using prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. Drug abuse counseling and rehabilitation programs have proven to be positive for individuals who are arrested for prescription drug crimes. Choosing Haslam for this position indicates that prescription drug abuse and unnecessary prescriptions is an area of interest for the state medical board.