Prescription for Good Health-February 9, 2010


Prescription medication abuse by teens is a serious problem in the United States. These prescribed drugs and over-the counter (OTC) medications are fast becoming the new "party drugs" for many teenagers. As reported in the Partnership for a Drug Free America's annual tracking study: 
      *  1 in 5 teens has tried Vicodin, a powerful and addictive narcotic pain reliever
 * 1 in 10 has tried OxyContin, another prescription narcotic
      * 1 in 10 has used the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall for nonmedical purposes  
      * 1 in 11 teens has admitted to getting high on cough medicine.

Many teens think these drugs are safe because they have legitimate uses, prescribed by a doctor, but taking them without a prescription to get high or to "self-medicate" can be as dangerous and addictive as using street narcotics and other illicit drugs.

A main source for teenagers or anyone for that matter, of prescription and OTC drugs is the family medicine cabinet. Think about it: Prescription drugs are much easier to get-within the privacy of a bathroom-in the medicine cabinet-than illegal street drugs. Pharmaceuticals are beneficial and necessary, but should be monitored properly and under a lock and key. Just like our cleaning chemicals kept under the sink should have child locks on them, so should our drugstore prescribed drugs.

TEENAGERS are still children-guns, alcohol and prescription drugs should be locked up.

Do an inventory of the contents of your medicine cabinets, monitor the pill quantities, put drugs away or get rid of them properly and urge your friends-especially the parents of your children's friends-to perform medicine inventories of their own.

The problem of teens abusing prescription drugs is a growing problem, but in addition to this difficulty there is an added problem of environmental health implications created by improper disposal of drugs (flushing), which has created a need for a type of public service.

Operation Medicine Cabinet, a prescription drug take back program, has answered this need. It is currently in effect at the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and at the Royal Oak Public Safety Department as well as other locations in Oakland County. This is a disposal program which will take unused, unneeded, or expired medications and dispose of them properly. It will take back the controlled substances that places like SOCRRA (Southeastern Oakland County Resource Recovery Authority) will not. Please visit our website, www.tricommunitycoalition.org and go to our resource page for other resources regarding prescription drugs and your teens, and public safety departments close to you that have joined forces with Operation Medicine Cabinet.



Judy Rubin
Executive Director
Tri-Community Coalition