By comparison, most teens — 81 percent — said they have talked about the risks of marijuana use with their parents. Almost the same number said they have discussed alcohol with their parents. Almost one-third said they have talked about crack and cocaine.

One in six parents said using prescription drugs to get high is safer than using street drugs, according to the survey. Almost one-third of the parents said attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications such as Ritalin or Adderall can improve a child’s academic or testing performance even if the teen does not have ADHD.

One in four teens in the study said they had misused or abused a prescription drug at least once. That’s up sharply, a 33 percent increase, in the last five years. One in eight teens report misusing or abusing the drugs Ritalin or Adderall — stimulants prescribed to treat ADHD. Other national studies also have seen a rise in abuse numbers for these stimulants among teens.

For parents who want to clean out their medicine cabinets of old, unused or expired prescriptions — the Drug Enforcement Administration and Justice Department is sponsoring a “take-back” day. Collection sites will be set up around the country on April 27 where people can safely toss away their unwanted medicine. Information about sites near you is available at: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug–disposal/takeback/ .

The partnership’s study was sponsored by the MetLife Foundation. Researchers surveyed 3,884 teens in grades 9-12 with anonymous questionnaires that the youngsters filled out at school from February to June 2012. The teen sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points. For the adults, the sample was 817 for surveying conducted from August to October 2012, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Based in New York, The Partnership at Drugfree.org is formerly The Partnership for a Drug-Free America. The nonprofit group launched its new name in 2010 to position itself as more of a resource to parents and to avoid the misperception the partnership is a government organization.

To read full press release, please click here.

The letter applauds the FDA for developing guidelines that will assist with the formulations of opioid drugs with abuse-deterrent properties, but encourages the agency to ensure generic versions of such products are designed with similar features.

“Adding new physical and chemical features to prescription opioids to deter abuse could reduce misuse of these drugs and the sometimes deadly consequences,” reads the NAAG letter, which can be found here: http://www.naag.org/sign-on_archive.php.

Prescription drug abuse is a significant danger, reaching epidemic levels in many states. Opioids relieve pain and codeine, hydrocodone (e.g. Vicodin) and oxycodone (e.g. OxyContin, Percocet) fall into this medication class.

“In our states, nonmedical users are shifting away from the new tamper-resistant formulations to non-tamper-resistant formulations of other opioids as well as to illegal drugs,” reads the NAAG letter signed by 48 state and territorial attorneys general. “There is great concern in our law enforcement community that many non-tamper-resistant products are available for abuse when only a few products have been formulated with tamper-resistant features.”

Attorneys general remain in the forefront of combating the prescription abuse epidemic by sponsoring drug-take back efforts and spearheading legislative and law enforcement initiatives in their respective jurisdictions.

The grant program is the latest initiative in a four-year partnership between Purdue Pharma, L.P., and USCM with the goal supporting and/or enhancing existing prescription drug abuse prevention programs in America’s cities, as well as encouraging the development of new and innovative programs. The successful USCM/Purdue Pharma partnership began in 2009 with a nationwide public awareness campaign, featuring Mayoral PSAs on the dangers of prescription drug abuse, and offering simple steps parents can take to protect their children by properly storing and disposing of medication in the home. To date, Mayors have recorded more than 200 radio and television PSAs, which have reached an audience of millions in cities across the country.

“I am proud to be a part of this important partnership with Purdue Pharma,” said Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director.  “Together, The Conference of Mayors and Purdue Pharma have taken a national leadership role in the fight against prescription drug abuse, particularly among our young people, and these awards are an important step in supporting the efforts of mayors on the ground, at the local level.”

Grant awards were divided into two categories: small city (those with populations of less than 100,000) and large city (those with populations of 100,000 or more).  First and second place awards were given in both categories.  An independent panel of judges evaluated the applications based on innovation, creativity, mayoral involvement and potential impact.

”We congratulate the mayors who have won this year’s award and applaud the efforts of all the mayors who participated throughout the years in the USCM Safeguard My Meds public education campaign,” said Pamela Bennett, RN, BSN, Executive Director of Healthcare Alliance Development at Purdue Pharma.  “USCM has been a valuable partner in helping to educate the public about the importance of safe storage and disposal of medication, and we look forward to our continued partnership.”

For more information, please download the full press release here.

“As a pharmacist and mother, I understand how critical it is to keep prescription medicines from falling into the wrong hands,” said Michele Belcher R.Ph, third vice president of the National Community Pharmacists Association. “Every day more than 2,500 teenagers abuse prescription medication for the first time. Proper storage and disposal of prescription medicines in the home can play a vital role in preventing misuse and abuse.”¹

Belcher points out that there are several easy steps that can be taken to protect prescription medicines, including:

• Use a locked storage container to store prescription medicines at greater risk of being abused – pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants and depressants. These medicines are targets for theft by anyone who enters your home, so extra precautions should be taken.
• Keep track of medications with the Medicine Inventory Sheet – one is available on www.SafeguardMyMeds.org.
• Take inventory of prescription medicines at least twice a year, such as when you change your clocks in the spring and fall.

Go to www.SafeguardMyMeds.org to access additional information on safe medicine storage through downloadable print, video, and online materials. Visitors are also encouraged to take the Personal Responsibility Pledge and make a commitment to safeguard their prescription medicine.

This course will address Rx and OTC medicine misuse, abuse and addiction, an epidemic that CADCA’s coalitions are addressing in their communities every day. Although safe when taken as prescribed and often truly life-saving, the misuse and abuse of Rx and OTC medicines present a major problem since they are easily accessible and many perceive these drugs to be less harmful than illicit drugs.

CADCA has been tracking and addressing this public health threat for more than 10 years. This is the first of many courses using this innovative platform CADCA plans to offer.

CADCA’s prescription drug abuse prevention course applies the strategic prevention and community problem solving framework used by its National Coalition Institute specifically to Rx and OTC medicine abuse. The courses were developed by a CADCA team with consultation by Dr. Robert M. Weiler, PhD, MPH, Professor and Director of Graduate Programs, Department of Health Education & Behavior at the University of Florida. Courses were beta-tested at CADCA’s Mid-Year Training Institute in July.

This first course, consisting of 10 modules, listed below, applies the “problem statement” of youth prescription drug abuse to the major competencies of the Strategic Prevention Framework. Users should have a working knowledge of the SPF and have identified Rx abuse/misuse as a problem in order to gain significant knowledge and build basic skills to tackle the problem by taking this course.

JP Banks, Project Coordinator for the Drug Free Coalition of Hall County in Georgia, said, “I had the opportunity to test CADCA’s new online training courses at the July 2012 mid-year conference and I found the material presented to be clear and useful. I was pleasantly surprised by how easily it was to navigate. I am confident this new online tool by CADCA will prove useful to coalition staff and volunteers alike.”

Gen. Dean said, “Building capacity in community leaders to reduce drug abuse is one of CADCA’s primary goals. This new course uses a great technology platform to apply our evidence-based approach specifically to medicine abuse. Medicine abuse is an epidemic. CADCA wants to arm its members and other concerned citizens with the best information and strategies to reduce it. We are excited to launch this course.”

As part of a special introductory offer, CADCA members will be able to access and utilize the courses at no charge. Individuals and other concerned health advocates can access the courses at http://learning.cadca.org.

Course modules include:

• Overview of the Problem
• Overview of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF)
• Conducting a Community Assessment
• Building Capacity
• Planning: Problem Analysis and Logic Modeling
• Planning: Developing Comprehensive Prevention Strategies
• Rx Abuse Prevention Toolkit Strategies
• Evaluating Community-Level Change
• Applying the Principles of Cultural Competence
• Conclusion

The development of this course was made possible by an educational grant from Purdue Pharma, L.P.

View the original press release here.

The Medicine Abuse Project will launch the week of September 23-29, 2012 and will both encourage and help parents and the public-at-large to take action: first, by talking with the kids in their lives about the dangers of abusing prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and second, by safeguarding and properly disposing of unused medications.

Through a destination website where visitors can learn more about the problem and what they can do, new public service announcements in national media, community outreach, education and events, The Medicine Abuse Project will shine a spotlight on this public health crisis, including both prescription and over-the-counter medicines. Individuals can sign up now to learn more. Follow the Project on Twitter at @MedicineAbuse and #endmedicineabuse.

The resources, called Rx for Understanding, include 10 cross-curricular lessons for middle school students.  Aligned with the National Health Education Standards and Common Core State Standards, the lessons aim to equip students with the understanding and decision-making skills they need to recognize and avoid the dangers of misusing and abusing prescription drugs.

“We know that 20 percent of high school students have reported that they have taken a prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription,” said Jerry Newberry, NEA HIN Executive Director.  “This behavior endangers student health and can interfere with academic success.  NEA HIN welcomes our partnership with Purdue Pharma to help teachers inform students about the risks in misusing prescription medication.”

Resources will be available free of charge, in print and online, to educators upon its launch on June 30  during the NEA Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly in Washington, D.C.

“Purdue and NEA HIN look forward to providing teachers with educational resources to guide them in addressing the critical health issue of the abuse and misuse of prescription medication,” said Pamela Bennett, RN, BSN, Executive Director of Healthcare Alliance Development at Purdue. “This effort is part of a larger initiative to establish partnerships with communities of educators, healthcare professionals, and law enforcement to help fight the abuse and diversion of prescription drugs.”

About the National Education Association Health Information Network
As the non-profit health and safety arm of the NEA, the NEA Health Information Network (NEA HIN) provides health and safety information to the over 3 million educational employees served by NEA and their 43 million students. NEA HIN distributes information nationally through NEA’s 51 state/territory affiliates as well as through its almost 15,000 local education associations. For more information, please visit www.neahin.org

About Purdue Pharma L.P.
Purdue Pharma L.P. is a privately held pharmaceutical company, founded by physicians, that is engaged in the research, development, production, and distribution of prescription and over-the-counter medicines and healthcare products.  The company is known for its pioneering research on pain, a principal cause of human suffering.   Purdue Pharma L.P. has developed RxSafetyMatters.org to provide information and resources to help deter medication misuse and abuse.

Media Contact:

Zachary Kolsky
Web and Marketing Coordinator
NEA Health Information Network
202-822-7778
zkolsky@nea.org

James Heins
Senior Director, Public Affairs
Purdue Pharma L.P.
(203) 588-8069
james.heins@pharma.com
@RxSafetyMatters

Download the Full Press Release

Chicago, IL – May 18, 2012 – The American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation is now offering grants for community organizations that provide educational programming about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

Each year, the AMA Foundation awards grants to grassroots health education programs that promote healthy lifestyles and improve wellbeing at the community level. The Healthy Living Grant program has supported 288 nonprofit organizations in teaching young people about nutrition, physical fitness and violence prevention.

In 2012, the Healthy Living Grant program will focus on supporting medical organizations with prescription medication safety projects targeting children and youth ages 2 to 21. The AMA Foundation will award $8,000 grants to approximately 25 medical organizations, supported by a generous grant from Purdue Pharma LP.

“Supporting community based awareness and prevention programs is vital to helping deter medication misuse and abuse,” said Pamela Bennett, RN, BSN, CCE Executive Director of Healthcare Alliance Development with Purdue Pharma LP. “Following the success of the AMA Foundation’s funding of prescription drug abuse prevention initiatives last year, we are pleased to support increased funding for individual Healthy Living grants to communities in 2012.”

Medical organizations (defined as hospitals, free clinics, public health departments, medical schools and/or nonprofit organizations) are encouraged to collaborate with nonprofits, schools or government entities on the prescription safety projects.

In previous years, prescription safety Healthy Living Grants have funded youth-led social media campaigns, parental toolkits and workshops, and age-appropriate e-learning modules.

Applications for the 2012 Healthy Living Grants must be received by Monday, July 16. For more information about the application process, or about previous Healthy Living Grant recipients, visit www.amafoundation.org/go/healthyliving or contact Program Officer Dina Lindenberg.

The AMA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt foundation, is dedicated to improving public health by raising funds and providing philanthropic support to high-impact health and medical scholarship programs. Visit www.amafoundation.org or follow us on Facebook to join the AMA Foundation in improving the health of Americans.

Media Contact:
Nicole Gillespie, AMA Foundation
(312) 464-5864
nicole.gillespie@ama-assn.org