Whats in Your Medicine Cabinet?

Narconon of Georgia warns parents to safeguard their medication and properly dispose of it when it is no longer needed or wanted.

Operation Medicine Cabinet, a campaign sponsored by Narconon of Georgia and a local Sheriff’s department, provides individuals with a safe way to properly dispose of unused and potentially dangerous medication.  Proper control and disposal of potentially dangerous medication is vital, due to the trend of prescription drug abuse with youth.

Every day 2500 youngsters age 12 to 17 try a painkiller for the first time and prescription drugs are more abused by teens than any illicit street drug, except for marijuana.  This is according to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health conducted by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Kids think that taking prescription drugs and over the counter medication for their next high is safer than street drugs and they are easy to get according to a survey done by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA).  This recent survey found that one in five teens can get prescription drugs within an hour and the most common source is their own home or friends.

This same survey found that two thirds of kids report that drugs are either used, kept or sold at their school.

These “friends” or classmates providing the drugs are not likely to report the truth about abusing prescription drugs.  That truth is that abuse can lead to paranoia, addiction, seizures or even death.

The goal of “Operation Medicine Cabinet” is to enlighten the community on the dangers of prescription drug abuse and to provide a safe means to curtail it.  Some kids will already need treatment and their families will be provided with information as to how to get it.

Mary Rieser, the Director of Narconon of Georgia stated, “We used to look to the schools to provide drug education.  Now, statistics show that the schools actually need our help.  Obviously, with so many drugs passing hands at school, the kids are not learning the truth about prescription drug abuse and many of their parents are unwittingly contributing to it.  “Operation Medicine Cabinet” provides an outside source of help to schools, kids and parents.  If this campaign is aggressively run in every major city we can make a huge dent on the prescription drug abuse problem.  Too many kids are getting addicted and too many have died.  It is time to do something about it.”

For more information on “Operation Medicine Cabinet and how you can have this campaign in your community, contact Narconon of Georgia at 770-379-0208.  Narconon of Georgia staff are also available for consultation concerning kids who have already become addicted to prescription drugs.