Prevention Partnership Joins Campaign To End Medicine Abuse Among Teens

WETHERSFIELD — Medicine abuse is among the fastest growing problems affecting teens in the United States, with one in six taking medicine to get high or change their mood.

The Governor’s Prevention Partnership recently announced that it is joining The Partnership at Drugfree.org’s newly formed national action campaign, The Medicine Abuse Project, in its goal to prevent half a million teens from abusing medicine by encouraging people to take the pledge to control their medications.

The Medicine Abuse Project is a unifying campaign that brings together families, communities, industry, health care professionals, educators, law enforcement and government officials to curb teen medicine abuse and ultimately save lives. The campaign launched on September 23 and will continue as a multiyear national action campaign.

With support from The Partnership and other organizations across the country, the Project will educate and unite the public around this lifesaving effort.

As part of The Medicine Abuse Project launch, The Governor’s Prevention Partnership encourages individuals to sign a pledge at MedicineAbuseProject.org, committing to get educated, and do their part to control medicine abuse.

Due to the prescription drug abuse epidemic, drug overdoses now surpass car crashes as the leading cause of accidental death in the United States. According to The Partnership at Drugfree.org, of the one in six teens have used a prescription drug in order to get high or change their mood, 65 percent of those teens get their medications from family members or friends.

“We understand, and the statistics prove, that medicine abuse is a serious and growing problem among our teens,” said Jill Spineti, president and CEO of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership. “Our job is to raise awareness among parents, young people, and all concerned adults about the dangers associated with medicine abuse. We want to encourage parents, grandparents, and others to properly store and dispose of medicine and take the time to talk to their kids about the dangers of medicine abuse, as a means to keeping Connecticut youth safe, successful, and drug free.”

As a leader in youth prevention, The Partnership understands that the need to take action is crucial. Prescription medicines and over-the-counter cough medications have become the most commonly abused drugs among 12- to 13-year-olds. Cleaning out medicine cabinets and securing medications will reduce medicine abuse among teens, by making sure they are unable to access them easily.

“The majority of teens who abuse medicines get them from family and friends,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Partnership for Drugfree.org. “We need to change that. With the support of partners like The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, physicians, parents, and teens themselves will be more aware of the dangers of medicine abuse.”

To join the effort, find a prescription drug take-back location near you and take the pledge to stop medicine abuse at MedicineAbuseProject.org.