Ohio Houses passes bill adding painkiller abuse education to health curricula

The Ohio House passed a bill last week that would require schools to include information in their health curricula about preventing abuse of prescription drugs (Source: “Ohio House passes bill to make prescription painkiller abuse part of schools' health curricula,” Associated Press via Toledo Blade, March 16, 2014).

State law already mandates instruction about nutrition, alcohol abuse and personal safety among other topics. Under the new proposal, schools would be required to update their health curricula with information about the addictive properties of prescription opioids and their links to heroin.

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.