National drug problem needs to be discussed

D. Angus Lee

Prosecuting Attorney for Grant County

GRANT COUNTY — The scope of our country’s drug problem is disturbingly clear. Drug overdoses outnumber gunshot deaths in America and are fast approaching motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of accidental death. It’s hard to believe, since we seem to hear much more about H1N1, the Toyota recall, and texting while driving.

Also concerning, is the recent threat to public safety and public health caused by prescription drug abuse. Prescription drug abuse harms the people who take these pills and those close to them. While we must ensure access to medications that alleviate suffering, it is also vital that we do all we can to curtail the abuse of pharmaceuticals.

Between 1997 and 2007, treatment admissions for prescription painkillers increased more than 400 percent. The latest data from the Monitoring the Future study shows that seven out of the top ten drugs used by teens are prescription drugs. And between 2004 and 2008, the number of visits to hospital emergency departments involving the non-medical use of narcotic painkillers increased 111 percent.

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.

This is not the drug that people buy behind a gas station wrapped in tin foil, and so people think it is somehow safer. We know from the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health that most people who abuse these drugs are getting them from friends and family, many of whom do not realize that giving your prescription drugs to another person is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Our young people must be made aware of the risks of drug use – at home, in school, in sports leagues, in faith communities, in places of work, and in other settings and activities that attract youth. This is vital because an individual who reaches age 21 without smoking, using drugs or abusing alcohol is virtually certain never to do so.

As parents and community leaders, you can help spread an important message: prescription drugs can be harmful and addictive if misused. If you have unused prescription drugs in your home, dispose of them properly. Talk to your kids about the dangers of drug use and keep them involved in drug free activities. It is always easier to keep someone you love off of drugs if you can keep them from ever starting.