Rx Drug Abuse Increasing Among Youth

Prescription drug abuse is on the rise…in the general population and especially, among youth.

Oregon Partnership is trying to get the word out that the call volume for the OP crisis lines from those dealing with addiction to pain killers and other opiates is now second to alcohol-related calls.

 This is a relatively new occurance and a troubling one.

We met with KPTV(12) today about a half-hour special the station plans later in the year about this very subject. 

And where do most young people get their pills?  From their folks’ medicine cabinets or from friends’ parents’ medicine cabinets!  It’s a subject that needs to get out in the public arena.

It’s Lock Up Your Meds Day: A Growing Danger for Youth

Who knew that fighting the war on drugs would begin in your own medicine cabinet.

 Unfortunately, that’s exactly where we are today because it is too easy for prescribed prescription drugs to fall into our kid’s hands.

The statistics speak for themselves.  All in all more than three million teens in the United States abuse prescription drugs. And the problem of drug use without a medical purpose among our youth is only growing worse: prescription drug abuse has risen in prevalence even as the abuse of illicit drugs has declined. 

 
Abuse of prescription drugs can be just as dangerous as illegal drugs – the big difference is that kids tend to think they are safe and are easier to get.  There is a direct link between perception of harm and use of a substance or drug.
Children don’t have to go to the streets or to a dealer to find prescription drugs; the biggest threat is an unsecured medicine cabinet in our own homes.  Gaining access to its contents typically calls for nothing more difficult than sliding open a mirrored door. 
Seventy percent of children who abuse prescription drugs admit to getting them from friends and family, often taken from the home medicine cabinet without that person’s knowledge.  A recent study from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) said that teens find it easier to get their hands on prescription drugs than it is to get their hands on beer.  The long-term prognosis can be bleak.  Kids who fool around with prescription drugs before age 16 face a higher risk of drug dependence later in life.   

We can all do more to prevent prescription drug abuse.  The first step is to become educated about the problem.  The second step is to get the community involved by inviting all to join us in spreading the word.
That’s what the National Family Partnership (NFP) and Oregon Partnership strongly believe.  As the country’s oldest and largest drug prevention program – and as the founder of Red Ribbon Week, which takes place every October 23-31 – the NFP has long dedicated itself to keeping children, families and communities drug-free.  Together with Alpharma Pharmaceuticals, it has designated October 27 as “Lock Your Meds” Day, to raise awareness and provide parents with action steps to prevent children’s prescription drug abuse.
  “Lock Your Meds Day” urges parents to take a five-part pledge, promising to: talk to your children about prescription drugs, set clear rules for behavior,  lock up your medicines, take inventory and keep track of your medicines, and encourage others to follow the exact same guidelines. 
 To help parents, the campaign website www.nfp.org/lockyourmeds includes easy-to-use resources such as a home medicine inventory card, the online pledge, and downloadable guidelines on how to properly dispose of old and unused prescription medicines.

Drug Pushers on the Internet: They’re still out there.

This from the July 11 Join Together newsletter……A new report finds that the number of online pharmacies may be declining, but the vast majority still don’t require customers to provide a prescription before ordering controlled drugs.

The “You’ve Got Drugs V: Prescription Drug Pushers on the Internet” report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) said that of the 365 websites that researchers found selling prescription drugs online, just two were certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, and 85 percent sold drugs without a prescription.

CASA found that 42 percent of the sites explicitly stated that no prescription was needed to get drugs. Even among the sites that require a prescription, half allow customers to fax their scrip in, which CASA called an invitation to fraud.

Some sites also have started selling online “medical consultations,” allowing customers to obtain a prescription for controlled drugs that they can get filled at local pharmacies.

The previous You’ve Got Drugs study found 581 online pharmacies in 2007.

“This decline in the number of Web sites advertising or selling controlled prescription drugs may reflect efforts of federal and state agencies and financial institutions to crack down on Internet drug trafficking,” said CASA chairman and president Joseph A. Califano, Jr. “Nevertheless, in spite of those efforts, anyone of any age can obtain dangerous and addictive prescription drugs with the click of a mouse.”

Califano praised a bill passed by the Senate in April to crack down on illicit online pharmacies and urged the House and President Bush to approve the measure, as well as steps taken by credit-card companies and PayPal to prevent payments to online “pill mills.” The CASA report also called for Internet search engines to block ads for drugs from unlicensed and uncertified online pharmacies and said the U.S. should ink treaties with foreign governments to shut down online pharmacies.

However, Califano added that, “This problem is not going away. It is morphing into different outlets for controlled prescription drug trafficking like Internet script mills and membership sites that sell lists of online pharmacies, and different payment methods like eChecks, COD and money orders.”

Heath Ledger’s Death Should Serve as Warning of Growing Prescription Drug Abuse

The conclusion by the New York City medical examiner’s office that actor Heath Ledger died from an accident resulting from the abuse of prescription drugs will hopefully bring more attention to this tragically growing problem.

Oregon Partnership is calling for heightened prevention and education to reverse the national and statewide trend of prescription drug abuse.

According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), Oregon ranks 8th in the nation for the non-medical use of pain relievers, while Oregon youth (ages 12-17) rank fourth in the nation in the same category.

With so much attention on illegal drugs, the abuse of prescription drugs often doesn’t show up on the radar. It’s time that parents, lawmakers, and schools make education and prescription drug prevention a priority.

Parents especially, should be aware that because of prescription drugs are legal, there may be a false sense of security on the part of teenagers. As is the case with alcohol, most teens who abuse prescription drugs, get them from their parent’s medicine cabinets.

Like alcohol, too many prescription medications cloud one’s judgment, leaving an individual unclear about how much they’ve taken.  The result could be all too similar to the Heath Ledger tragedy.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, nearly one in ten high school seniors admit to abusing prescription painkillers, while 40 percent of teens and an almost equal number of their parents think abusing prescription painkillers is safer than abusing “street” drugs.

Nearly 7 million Americans are abusing prescription drugs – more than the number who abuse cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy, and inhalants combined.  That’s an 80 percent increase in just six years.

In a statement issued by Ledger’s father, “Heath’s accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage.”

Prescription Drug Abuse Increasing Among Oregon Youth

Parents, take note of some unsettling statistics: Oregon youth (ages 12-17) rank 4th in the nation for non-medical use of pain relievers.  And for adults, Oregon is 8th in the nation.

This, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). 

Some states – and Oregon isn’t one of them – have begun implementing Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) designed to monitor the prescription and disbursement of prescription drugs designated as controlled substances by the DEA.

Oregon Partnership will be joining others in the next session of the Legislature to get the state on board to better track prescription drug disbursement and to promote prevention as a result of this growing trend among Oregon teens.