directors

"While teen use of illegal drugs has gone down in recent years, the one category that has gone up is teen abuse of prescription drugs. Americans are in denial about how widespread this problem is."

-Tom Riley, spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Among 12- and 13-year-olds, prescription drugs are the drug of choice.

Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2009).

In 2008, more than 2.1 million teens ages 12 to 17 reported abusing prescription drugs.

Partnership for Drug-free America, Partnership Attitude Tracking Study [PATS] 2007

Every day 2,500 youth age 12 to 17 abuse a pain reliever for the very first time.

Source: Parents: The Anti-Drug

Follow these steps to protect your teen against the dangers of prescription and OTC drug abuse:

Safeguard all drugs at home. Take note of how many pills are in a bottle or pill packet, and keep track of refills. If you find you have to refill medication more often than expected, there could be a real problem—someone may be taking your medication without your knowledge. If your teen has been prescribed a drug, be sure you control the medication, and monitor dosages and refills.
Set clear rules for teens about all drug use, (including not sharing medicine and always following the medical provider's advice and dosages). Make sure your teen uses prescription drugs only as directed by a medical provider and follows instructions for OTC products carefully.
Be a good role model. Examine your own behavior to ensure you set a good example. If you misuse your prescription drugs, such as share them with your kids, or abuse them, your teen will take notice.
Properly conceal and dispose of old or unused medicines in the trash. Unused drugs should be disposed of properly. Mission Missouri is holding a Prescription Take Back Event, March 19-21. If you do use a trash can, mix the medicine with an undesirable substance (like used coffee grounds or kitty litter) and put the mixture in an empty can or bag. Unless the directions say otherwise, do NOT flush medications down the drain or toilet because the chemicals can pollute the water supply. Also, remove any personal, identifiable information from prescription bottles or pill packages before you throw them away.
Talk to friends and family to ensure they safeguard their prescription drugs as well. Make sure your friends and relatives, especially grandparents, know about the risks, too, and encourage them to regularly monitor their own medicine cabinets. If there are other households your teen has access to, talk to those families as well about the importance of safeguarding medications. Follow up with your teen's school administration to find out what they are doing to address issues of prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse in schools.

PARENTS: SHUT DOWN THE SUPPLY