Prescription drug abuse has long been a major problem in West Virginia, but the response to it has been too disorganized to make a significant dent.

That's the argument that led to the formation late last year of the Controlled Substance Advisory Board. The board is now looking at steps that include a pilot program in the most affected counties and possible legislation.

The group's chairman is Michael O'Neil, a pharmacy professor at the University of Charleston with a long history of work on law enforcement and drug abuse.

O'Neil says the board brings together everyone from physicians to police to politicians, so a comprehensive strategy can be devised.

In 2006, nine out of ten overdose deaths in the state involved prescription drugs.