Ohio, Ky. fight 'tourists' trafficking painkillers

LEBANON, Ohio (AP) - Authorities trying to crack down on prescription painkiller abuse at home say they're stymied by so-called drug tourists, people traveling to states like Florida and Georgia where the drugs are easier to obtain.

Investigators say these prescription tourists thwart local efforts to combat the illegal sale of painkillers and to treat addicts by bringing huge volumes of drugs in from outside.

Prescription tourists are based in a variety of states, but investigators in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia are among the busiest trying to track the trips.

The lucrative business involves drug dealers dispatching underlings to states with numerous pill mills where they load up on painkillers, then return to sell the drugs to addicts willing to pay as much as $100 a pill.