Max Cleland formerly headed the U.S. Veterans Administration.

ATLANTA -- Campaign finance reports released last week have shown that drug companies opposed to Issue 2 have outspent the Yes on Issue 2 campaign - the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act -- nearly 4 to 1.

And let's be honest about this, they're not spending $58 million on this campaign for altruistic reasons. It's about money and keeping as much as they can for themselves at the expense of their patients.

As a Vietnam veteran and former head of the U.S. Veterans Administration, I have spent most of my life advocating for veterans. And I'm not stopping now. One of the biggest challenges now facing Ohio families and veterans is posed by the out-of-control pharmaceutical drug industry.

People forget that not all veterans are eligible to receive VA benefits. There are countless vets who struggle to afford their medicines every day. This industry continues to rip them and Ohio taxpayers off by selling to our government agencies - including Medicaid - drugs at outrageous prices.

More than 70 percent of Americans believe drug costs are unreasonable and that drug companies are putting profits ahead of people. The drug industry's price-gouging is so bad many sick Ohioans and veterans can't afford the drugs they need to get better. No one should be sick because they are poor or poor because they are sick.

On Nov. 7, Ohio veterans and voters will have an opportunity to show the country that it's time to get serious about reforming the immoral and broken prescription drug pricing system.

To make that happen, I urge all veterans and voters to Vote Yes for Issue 2.

Voting yes on Issue 2 helps all Ohioans by saving tax money and reducing drug prices by empowering the Ohio state agencies that buy drugs for millions of Ohioans, including veterans and their families, to use their negotiating clout to demand these agencies pay no more than the VA does for medications.

Don't be confused by the drug companies about Issue 2. That's what they're counting on. They want you to vote against your own interests so they can continue to fleece Americans for outrageous profits.

All the money funding the opposition to Issue 2 is coming from the same greedy drug companies who are willfully charging Americans hundreds of dollars for medicines that cost them sometimes less than $10 to produce. These are also the same drug companies who used their money and lobbying power to weaken laws meant to help curb the current opiate epidemic. They're not even honest enough to say what drug companies are contributing to their campaign. There is no question to their motivation. It's all about the money.

Up until Election Day, you will hear the drug industry claim Issue 2 will hurt veterans. Don't believe it. The drug industry will say anything and do anything to protect its billion-dollar profits. Our veterans deserve our respect and our support. They do not deserve to be threatened and bullied by drug companies. As for myself, I would never support anything to hurt veterans.

Voting yes on Issue 2 is an opportunity for Ohioans to take the first big step in lowering drug prices for everyone, while at the same time saving taxpayers $400 million. That's money that could be used to better our schools, fix our streets, or support our vets. If Issue 2 passes in Ohio, other states and organizations, like private insurance companies, will seek the same discounts for themselves. That's why the drug companies are spending $58 million - and counting - to stop the Yes on Issue 2 Campaign.

Ohio can be a leader in this fight, as this is not a partisan issue. There is only one "bad guy," and it's the drug companies. Out-of-control drug prices affect all of us, and it's time we do something about it. On Election Day, vote yes for Issue 2.

Vietnam veteran Max Cleland is a recipient of the Silver Star and Bronze Star, and a former U.S. senator from Georgia who served as administrator of the U.S. Veterans Administration under President Jimmy Carter.

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