UPDATE 2/9/11 @ 11:15 p.m.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ohio Gov. John Kasich has tapped one of the state's most influential politicians to work on the issue of prescription drug abuse.

Kasich spokeswoman Connie Wehrkamp on Wednesday confirmed the involvement of former attorney general and state Auditor Betty Montgomery in tackling the problem..

Fatal drug overdoses topped car crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in Ohio in 2007 and have remained the top cause in 2008 and 2009.

Montgomery, a Republican, is a former prosecutor who served two four-year terms as attorney general and a term as state auditor and was often the top vote getter in statewide elections.

Attorney General Mike DeWine first announced Montgomery's role at a news conference outlining his office's plans to fight pain pill abuse.

DeWine says the pain pill epidemic is a serious problem that
hurts Ohio communities.

In a speech Wednesday morning in Canton, DeWine gave an example of the problems of "pill mills" that dispense many more pills per resident than can be reasonably expected.

DeWine said that in Scioto County — a county of only 76,000 — there are at least eight "pill mills" that pump out more than 35 million oxycodone and hydrocodone pills per year. He said this figure represents 460 pills for every Scioto County resident.

During a news conference later Wednesday morning, DeWine announced that his office is dedicating new personnel and funds to help fight Ohio's prescription drug abuse problem.

"As I have traveled our state, the issue of prescription drug abuse comes up whether I am in a small town, suburb or large city. To help fight this growing problem, I am dedicating staff and financial resources of the Attorney General's Office to help local prosecutors and law enforcement deal with the consequences of prescription drug abuse," Attorney General DeWine said.

DeWine announced that his office is hiring Adams County Prosecutor Aaron Haslam as co-unit coordinator of its Special Prosecutions Unit. Haslam will coordinate the office's efforts with prosecutors and local law enforcement on prescription drug abuse. The Attorney General's Office also is hiring two additional assistant attorneys general with prosecutorial experience who will specialize in prescription drug cases.

Also, the Attorney General's Office is dedicating resources to assist local law enforcement and prosecutors in tackling this issue. To help train peace officers on the front lines, funds will go to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy to fund training for local law enforcement through regional seminars, online offerings, and free courses offered at the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI).

Funds also will be used to augment the investigative staff at BCI so they can assist local prosecutors and law enforcement.

DeWine unveiled his plan a day after Ohio House lawmakers introduced legislation to limit doctors' ability to disperse controlled substances like painkillers.

The bill, whose sponsors include former Scioto County Coroner
Terry Johnson, also would tighten licensing of so-called pain
management clinics.