The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) recently released the results of a statewide survey that shows about eight in 10 parents believe kids get prescription and over-the-counter drugs that they abuse from medicine cabinets in their homes or their friends’ homes. PDFNJ Executive Director Angelo Valente told NJ Today Senior Correspondent Desiree Taylor that the survey shows parents are beginning to recognize the issue of prescription drug abuse and have begun taking steps to prevent it. He also said educating young people about the dangers of prescription drugs is key to curtailing abuse.
Prescription drug abuse has become more well known in the last few years, Valente said. “Several years ago, this issue was really not on the radar screen,” he said. “And today we’re finding that an overwhelming majority of parents are acknowledging this issue and taking steps within their own home to help protect their families.” He explained that the PDFNJ survey found more than 70 percent of parents in New Jersey recognized the fact that the medicine cabinet, including their own, is the access point for young people getting and abusing prescription drugs.
Valente said young people from age 12 through their 20s are abusing prescription drugs. “What we’re finding, unfortunately, is that this particular issue has reached epidemic levels,” he said. “Every day throughout the United States, 40 young people die of prescription drug abuse and every day 5,000 young people experiment with prescription drug abuse for the first time.”
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The next step after abuse of prescription drugs is often heroin, according to Valente, so prevention is very important. He said the first step is education, to explain to young people that even though medication is prescribed by a doctor, it’s not safe for them to experiment with. He said they can become very addictive and are prescribed to a particular patient after a medical evaluation.
Another important component to prevention of young people’s prescription drug abuse is for parents to know what types of medication they have in their homes. Valente said parents should keep an inventory of their medicines and lock them up as they would a liquor cabinet. The third step is proper disposal of unused medications. Valente said proper disposal can keep young people from having access to drugs they can use to experiment.
According to Valente, when it comes to young people’s prescription drug abuse, there isn’t a particular medication in high demand. “Unfortunately what we’re finding is that young people are just grabbing whatever they can find and it really is not a specific medicine that they really looking to get access to, especially those that are experimenting for the first time,” he said. “So what we’re urging parents to do is make sure that they really look at every single medicine — both over-the-counter as well as prescription medication — and make sure that they are secured and locked and disposed of if they’re no longer being utilized.”
New Jersey has many campaigns that offer residents ways to safely dispose of unwanted and expired medications. Valente explained that the Garden State was the first in the nation to have a statewide disposal day four years ago. He said it was so successful that it became the model for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. “That particular day in November of 2008 we had over 50,000 people come out throughout the state of New Jersey and dispose of their medicine at a location near them,” he said.
Now, there is even more demand for drop-off locations with residents asking for more frequent opportunities to properly dispose of their medications. “Most recently, many police departments and sheriffs’ offices are hosting permanent collection sites within their facilities so a person can go any time and dispose of their unused and expired medicines,” Valente explained.
PDFNJ also has a free app available to the public where residents can find a drop-off location near them. The app is called AMCC Rx Drop — standing for American Medicine Chest Challenge prescription drug drop. “It’s a wonderful app because it gives you an opportunity to check where the local site it in your community or your county where you can dispose of your medicine at any time,” Valente said.