Minnesota conference tackles problem of pain pill abuse

[Star Tribune, August 26, 2015] Prescription pain pill abuse isn’t one of the lighter topics Gov. Mark Dayton has talked about this year. But on Tuesday, speaking at Minnesota’s first conference on the topic, he drove home a serious point about the issue with a personal story and a touch of humor.

After a minor dental procedure, he said, he received a prescription for 30 opioid painkillers. He took a few and tossed the rest. “Maybe I should have made a sign and sold them on Summit Avenue,” he quipped, which drew a roar from the more than 1,000 people gathered at the University of Minnesota for the daylong event.

Dr. Courtney Baechler, who works at Allina Health’s Penny George Institute for Health and Healing in Minneapolis, spoke at this event. Read the story at startribune.com.