John Kasich

Many advocates on the front lines of the opioid crisis — from firefighters who revive overdose victims, to counselors at community treatment and recovery programs, to grandparents caring for the children of addicts — already are frustrated with two recent developments that could affect settlement payments in Ohio.

West Virginia University President Gordon Gee and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich are creating a nonprofit that will fight to steer cash from any national opioid settlement to hospitals, rather than to local and state governments already sparring for control of the dollars.

The headline above sounds similar to a passage from Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young’s anti-war song “Ohio,” which chronicled the shooting deaths of four students at Kent State University nearly 50 years ago. But it’s actually a description of what is happening today in the Buckeye State, where opioid overdoses are killing people in large numbers. Ohio is among the top five states with the highest rates of opioid-related overdose deaths.

Over 13 people died a day on average in Ohio due to drug overdoses last year, a new high as the state battles the opioid epidemic. Gov. John Kasich, who will leave office in January, played defense during a Thursday afternoon news conference where the death tally was announced, emphasizing the work he's accomplished to make some progress in the battle against the drugs - such as heroin and prescription opioid-related overdose deaths decreasing.