Although drugs are still very much a plague on Lawrence County and the Tri-State, strides are being made to hold those responsible for distributing the substances accountable for their crimes.

This week a grand jury indicted the doctor of an Ironton clinic that was shut down a year and a half ago for allegedly running a pill mill. Dr. Adam P. Hall was charged with, among other things, aggravated trafficking in drugs.

The doctor is also accused of stamping or pre-signing blank prescription slips for office staff to complete.

It is difficult to think any physician would blindly run a practice without the thought of the kind of damage it was causing to his or her patients.

But that damage can be seen all over this county. The impact of prescription drug abuse crosses all demographics — young and old, rich and poor.

Doctors are the ones who must take great care in looking after the people in the community and attempt to give them the best possible treatment. Not just throw dangerous opiates and narcotics at them without any kind of treatment plan in place.

We commend the prosecutor’s office, drug task force, and other local and state agencies that have worked to put a stop to pill mills in this region. There is still a long way to go in the fight against prescription drug addiction but with everyone working together, it is an epidemic we can overcome.