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Scioto County Daily News
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  • Public Safety

    Nightmare Roommate: Woman Wakes to Sexual Assault in Her Own Bed 

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    💥 Brawl at Rehab: Man Left Bloody, One Jailed After Fight at McDermott Facility 

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    OD Scare Outside Funeral Home: Deputies Step In, Urge Public to Call for Help

    Jennifer Walsh

    Portsmouth Mom Busted After Child Shows Up Alone at Hospice — Again! 

    What to do if you suspect child abuse

    BREAKING: Allegation of Child Sex Assault Reported in Portsmouth – Here’s What You Need to Know 

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    🚓 Busted After a Police Ride?! Car Theft Suspect Claims Unusual Chauffeur 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 07/26/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

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    From ER to Aisle 3: Walker-Wielding Wanderer Bounced Between Stores 

    👊 Daughter Busted After Alleged Attack on Mom — History of Violence Comes Back to Haunt Her 

    Timothy McKinney

    60 Days for a Brutal Beating? Man Who Killed Dog With 2×4 Gets Slap on the Wrist 

    New Federal Homelessness Order Calls for Tougher Measures, But Will It Help Cities Like Portsmouth? 

    Justice Delayed: Court Stalls in Walmart Ambush Case That Left Teen Fighting for Life 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 07/25/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

    Bridge Fight Turns into Mental Health Crisis—Quick Action by Officers Gets Man Help

    BURGLAR BUSTED: WILD FOOT CHASE-SUSPECT @ GUNPOINT 

    PPD Night

    Midnight Mayhem: Car Crashes into Power Poles, Knocks Out Lights from Clay to Grandview 

    Busted Arrests Portsmouth Scioto County Mugshots

    Busted! 07/24/25 New Arrests in Portsmouth, Ohio – Scioto County Mugshots

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    Teen’s Tall Tale Unravels: Bizarre 911 Call Leads Deputies to Franklin Furnace 

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    Good Neighbor Nabs Wanted Man: Deputies Bust Suspicious Visitor at Vacant Home 

    Man Missing for 24 Hours Found on Stranger’s Porch

  • Lawrence County
  • Politics
    Scottie Powell

    “Run on Vision, Not Attacks”: Powell Offers Advice to Candidates Vying for Cathy Coleman’s Seat 

    🌿 Bamboo Gets Fast-Tracked at City Hall — But the Homeless Crisis? Still Stuck in Neutral 

    Who Will Carry Cathy’s Torch? GOP to Choose Coleman’s Replacement July 29 

    Cathy Coleman

    Commissioners Back Senior Housing Project Championed by Late Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    “Bad and Quirky” Lucasville House Targeted for Demolition as County Cracks Down on Blighted Properties 

    ‘A Great Addition to Heaven’: Commissioners Honor Cathy Coleman, Reflect on Her Legacy and Who Might Carry It Forward 

    Cathy Coleman

    Scioto County Mourns Commissioner Cathy Coleman 

    🚨TRIAL TWIST! Horton Corruption Case on Ice—For Now 

    Cathy Coleman

    Remembering Scioto County Commissioner Cathy Coleman

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    🏥 Scioto County Approves Hospital Tax to Keep Medicaid Dollars Local 

    No Kings

    Scioto Dems Snort at “Well-Funded” No Kings Protest Claim

    Cathy Coleman

    Cathy Coleman Still Fighting: Family Shuts Down Hospice Rumors, Says Recovery Still Underway

    County May Tap Opioid Settlement Funds to Finish MARCS Tower Project 

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘Small Steps, Big Faith’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Edges Closer to Recovery 

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘Praise God!’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Remarkable Progress After Harrowing Weeks

    Cathy Coleman

    Cautious Hope and Harsh Realities: New Details Emerge on Commissioner Cathy Coleman’s Condition 

    Scioto County Commissioners Cancel This Week’s Meeting 

    Robert Horton

    Sudden Twist: Horton Court Dates Scrapped Ahead of Trial 

    Cathy Coleman

    ‘A Sign of Hope’: Commissioner Cathy Coleman Shows Small Improvements Amid Ongoing Critical Condition 

    Recorder Gary Jenkins

    Scioto County Recorder Gary Jenkins Unveils New Office Website 

  • Feel Good
    A family of two parents and a young boy and girl are playing laser tag with vests and laser blasters in an arena.

    What Activities To Offer at a Family Fun Center

    Shawnee State University SSU

    Shawnee State University Joins New Athletic Conference, Adds Football to Lineup 

    BREAKING: Commissioners Make Shocking Decision—Halloween to Remain on Halloween 

    Escape to the Hills: A Summer Reading List Set in Appalachia 

    Scioto County Champs: Lady Trojans and Word Wizards Bring Home the Gold 

    “I Held Those Keys Tight” — One Man’s Harrowing Journey from Addiction to Hope 

    Three girls in quinceañera dresses stand beside one another. The one in middle has a gold dress while the other two wear pink.

    Tips for Selecting the Color of a Quinceañera Dress

    The Day the Streak Ended: Lakers’ 1987 Record Broken

    An angler standing at the edge of a lake just after sunset with three fishing rods resting on the ground next to him.

    Night Fishing: Who Is It for and How Do You Start?

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    Cops Rescue Lost Man 

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    Kid Misses Bus, Deputy to the Rescue 

    A group of people stands outside with their arms in the air. They hold their hands together, making a pyramid shape.

    Hidden Gems: Community Strategies for Mental Wellness

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    Man Says He’s Trapped in Armory 

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    Good Neighbor and Officer to the Rescue 

    Portsmouth Flood Wall Stars

    Meet the New Flood Wall Stars! 

    A bearded man is sitting on the floor and comforting his dog in a wheelchair. The dog has his ears pinned back.

    Training Tips To Help Your Dog Get Used to Their Wheelchair

    U.S. housing market

    Tips for Making Your New House Feel Like a Home

    The Best Freshwater Fish To Catch This Summer

    The Best Freshwater Fish To Catch This Summer

    A man approaching the bowling lane with a red bowling ball as his three friends in the background cheer him on.

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    Lost Kid Calls Cops for Help 

  • Obituaries
    Kyle E. Redoutey

    Kyle E. Redoutey, 30

    Myrtle Maxine Carver Boggs

    Myrtle Maxine Carver Boggs, 85 of South Portsmouth

    Patricia Ann Robinson

    Patricia Ann Robinson 73 McDermott

    Barbara Williams

    Shirley Jean Hackworth, 89 of Franklin Furnace,

    Judith Marie Fox

    Judith Marie Fox 81 of Wetumpka

    Janet Sue (Brisker) Risner

    Janet Sue (Brisker) Risner, 83 of Minford

    Prudence Ruth West

    Prudence Ruth West, 82 of Portsmouth,

    Kaitlyn Nicole Murphy

    Kaitlyn Nicole Murphy, 22 of Newcomerstown

    Ricky Edwin Johnson

    Ricky Edwin Johnson 72 of Portsmouth

    Alana Dustianna Meshelle Greene

    Alana Dustianna Meshelle Greene, 32 of Portsmouth

    Estel C. Harr, 68 of Portsmouth

    James L. Slone, 86, of South Webster

    James L. Slone, 86 of South Webster

    Gary Lee Meade,70 of West Portsmouth

    Lilly Ann Elliott

    Lilly Ann Elliott, 53 of Portsmouth

    James D. Hannah

    James D. Hannah, 60 of Greenup

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    Bristol Rafalowski, 3, of Wheelersburg

    Walter Logan

    Walter Logan 56 of Portsmouth

    Paul H. Parker

    Paul H. Parker 85 of Portsmouth

    Ralph Burton Speck

    Ralph Burton Speck, 90 of West Portsmouth

    Barbara Williams

    Betty Lou Little Mullins, 91 of Franklin Furnace

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Shady Pain Doctors and Pharma: Worse Than Corner Pushers

Cyn Mackley by Cyn Mackley
5 years ago
in Opinion
Shady pain docs and pharma are worse than corner pushers

Photo by: Tiffany Steinke https://www.flickr.com/photos/tsteinke/ Edited by SCDN

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Heroin is bad for you. Everybody knows it. Even some dude selling it out of his car knows it and he’d never try to tell you otherwise. Who would try to tell you that heroin is helpful?

Doctors, major pharmaceutical companies, and healthcare software manufacturers, that’s who. Here at Scioto County Daily News, we’ve reported this week on the startling news that close to 1 billion MME of morphine in the form of over 48 million pills were shipped to Scioto County over the course of eight years. A county with around 75,000 residents. If you do the math, it comes out to 617 pills per person. Mexican cartels could only hope to be able to move that much product. Turns out our worst nightmare was a drug pusher with an unlimited PR budget.

Of course, cartels can’t get your doctor to bill Medicaid for your baggy of black tar heroin. Why would doctors widely prescribe a known dangerously addictive drug for everything from backaches to headaches? In a word: “marketing.”  Now, I’m not talking about pill mill operators. They are greedy, unethical monsters who don’t even deserve to be called doctors. I’m talking about decent physicians who actually care about patients. Many say they were oversold the benefits and mislead about the safety of these “new” extended-release opiates by pharmaceutical reps. I worry about people with medical degrees that think you should believe what salesmen tell you. The other shocking revelation (at least to me) this week was that a major medical software company took money from pharmaceutical companies to place pop-ups in medical records software that reminded doctors to suggest opioids.

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The absolute worst thing is that opioids are lousy painkillers. They are great for surgery and post-surgery and a blessing for short-term end-of-life care. But multiple studies show that when it comes to things like severe chronic back pain, they don’t provide any better long-term relief than taking Tylenol or Aleve.

A five-year study of veterans where half received managed opioid care and half over-the-counter meds and therapy showed that after five years, those on opioids had no greater pain relief or improvement of quality of life.

I’m not going to list all the adverse side effects of opioids. In Scioto County, we know them all too well.  Oh wait, I lied. Nausea, lung infection, heart infection, muscle pain, falls, breathing difficulties, addiction, and death by overdose. And lets not even touch on the destruction of our society.

God in heaven, the people of this area have suffered beyond measure with the unending side effects of pain relievers that aren’t even that good at relieving pain. We know the government and insurance companies hate to pay for physical therapy but imagine if Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance companies had been willing to pay for 48 million physical therapy sessions. Or even 48,000.

This is one of the worst cases of mass-poisonings I’ve ever heard of. Good God, we’d have been better off if they’d decided to drop a bomb on us. It would have been easier to dig out of. Murders. F#%!ing murders.

One note. I’m pretty much a Libertarian. I don’t care if you want to drink, smoke, take drugs, or gamble away your life savings. But when companies that are supposed to make medicine, conspire with companies that make software, and with doctors to convince you to a highly addictive drug with horrible side-effects and little therapeutic benefit and it’s paid for by Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance funds meant for drugs that help people, it is not only an ethical betrayal, it’s a crime. Like I said, f#%!ing murders.

Tags: FamilyHealthopioid crisisscam
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