We told you last month about a "pill mill" bust in Northlake where federal officials claim Southern Health Management on Northlake Parkway was merely a front for an illegal pill mill business that handed out fradulent prescriptions to those seeking easy access to protected medications.

The New York Times published a story today about the growing national priority on prescription mediation addiction as it eclipses the government's concerns over more traditional illegal drugs such as crack cocaine and heroin.

From the story:

Now the drugs most likely to land Americans in emergency rooms cannot be interdicted. Studies show that prescription painkillers, and stimulants to a lesser extent, are the nation’s biggest drug problem. The same survey that identified 1.5 million cocaine users in 2010 found seven million users of “psychotherapeutics.” Of the 36,450 overdose deaths in the United States in 2008, 20,044 were from prescription painkillers, more than all illicit drugs combined.

And whereas cocaine and heroin have been concentrated in big cities, prescription drug abuse has spread nearly everywhere. “Today there is drug use in every county in Ohio, and the problem is worse in rural areas,” said Mike DeWine, the attorney general of Ohio.

Startling to say the least. How do you think the federal government should combat prescription drug addiction? Or should it? What do you think about the governments larger war on drugs? Tell us in the comments section below.