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Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States. Because prescription drugs are legal, they are easily accessible, often from a home medicine cabinet. Further, some individuals who misuse prescription drugs, particularly teens, believe these substances are safer than illicit drugs because they are prescribed by a healthcare professional and sold behind the counter.
Overview
The 2010 National Drug Control Strategy provides a blueprint for reducing prescription drug abuse. To work toward the goal of curbing prescription drug abuse, the Strategy calls for:
- expanding prescription drug monitoring programs;
- encouraging community prescription take-back initiatives;
- informing the public of the risks of prescription drug abuse and overdose;
- recommending disposal methods to remove unused medications from the home; and
- working with physicians to achieve consensus standards on opiate painkiller prescribing.
According to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health, among people age 12 or older who reported using pain relievers non-medically in the past year, 56 percent got the drug they most recently used from a friend or relative for free. Another 18 percent reported getting the drug from one doctor. Only about 4 percent reported obtaining pain relievers from a drug dealer or other stranger, and less than half of one-percent bought the drugs on the Internet. Among those who said they got the pain reliever from a friend or relative for free, 82 percent reported that the friend or relative had obtained the drugs from just one doctor.
These results highlight the importance of properly disposing of prescription drugs to help reduce the instance of abuse.
Because prescription drugs are legal, they are easily accessible. Parents, law enforcement, the medical community, and all levels of government have a role to play in reducing prescription drug abuse. Here are some things you can do to reduce the abuse of prescription drugs:
- Follow Disposal Guidelines: No matter who you are, you can help address this issue in your home. By following the guidelines you reduce the risk of unintentional harm. Read about how to dispose of unused medicines and drug poisoning.
- Talk to your kids: It's important that our children learn about the use and abuse of prescription drugs. For tips on having conversations with kids, read Time to Talk for tools to talk to preschoolers and grade-schoolers, Teen Culture for tips with teens, and view sample conversation starters.
- Take advantage of community take-back programs: Call your city or county government's household trash and recycling service or your local police or sheriff's department to see if a take-back program is available in your community.
Successful substance-abuse prevention programs, combined with public education and penalties for those who fail to comply with the law, will continue to receive support in the effort to reduce prescription drug abuse. Here are some programs:
- The Anti-Drug – Includes a full set of parent resources about teen prescription drug abuse, including signs and symptoms of use, tips for parents, and more.
- Drug-Free Communities Support program (DFC) – Funding hundreds of communities around the country, the DFC program helps communities identify and respond to local substance abuse issues.
- National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign – A campaign aimed at preventing and reducing youth drug use across the country by increasing teen exposure to anti-drug messages with a highly visible national media presence and on-the-ground activities, including a number of free online resources to help prevent teen prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drug abuse.
- ONDCP Fact Sheet: Prescription Drugs: Weighing the Benefits and the Risks (PDF)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): PEERx resource for teens
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Prescription Drugs: Abuse and Addiction
- Combating Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs: Q&A with Michael Klein, Ph.D.