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Since grade school, they’ve been taught by DARE officers to say no to alcohol, marijuana and other illegal drugs. But the message about prescription drug abuse hasn’t been as loud.
“We’re so worried about the meth, pot and other street drugs. And this isn’t street drugs,” said Kara Erickson, a nurse at Shawnee Mission South High School. “People view them as being safe. … And students are realizing, ‘Hey, there are drugs out here and they get them from their parents’ medicine cabinets.’ ”
Medical professionals and youth advocates say they haven’t done enough to attack the growing problem in middle and high schools. But on Wednesday at Shawnee Mission South, that might have begun to change.
The first high school in the country to kick off the “Smart Moves, Smart Choices” educational campaign, students got a lesson on the dangers of prescription drugs. It’s something junior John Coler says students across the nation need.
“I think since doctors prescribe it, people feel like it’s not abuse,” said Coler, a member of the school’s Raiders Against Drinking and Drugs, which helped present Wednesday’s assembly. “That it’s more safe when it really isn’t.”
Last month, nine middle school girls in St. Joseph were rushed to the hospital after taking methadone, a potent prescription narcotic. Authorities say a 16-year-old boy reportedly gave one of the girls the methadone, sometimes used as a painkiller but more frequently used in a treatment regimen to free heroin users of their addiction.
And in Wichita, six middle school students face charges after authorities say they were distributing the prescription painkiller Loritab to other students earlier this month.
Because of Erickson’s interest and the prevalence of prescription drug abuse in the Midwest, Shawnee Mission South became one of three schools chosen to pilot the educational program. Kickoff assemblies similar to the one at the Johnson County high school will take place in Ohio and Delaware next week. A fourth school is being considered.
The program is sponsored by the National Association of School Nurses and PriCara, a division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals. It includes a series of five videos that can be downloaded from the Internet. The videos span everything from the myths behind prescription drug use to what parents should know about abuse and addiction.
“I think we missed all the signs,” said one parent featured in the video. “I always thought, ‘Awww, I’ll know. Of anybody, I’ll know what’s going on.’ ”
Experts hope the program shows parents they shouldn’t be careless with their prescriptions and should talk to their kids about prescription drug abuse. Also, don’t assume drug addicts match only one stereotype.
“I guess I would have thought a while back that the image of a drug addict is some greasy-haired kid, or a guy, (with a) single-bulb light bulb, dim room, dirty and all that stuff,” the parent in the video said. “It’s more typical that kids are young, taking drugs in a basement with a flat screen watching DVDs. It’s not what people think.”
While recent national studies show fewer teens are using illicit drugs such as marijuana, meth and cocaine, that’s not the case with prescription drugs. Those numbers continue to rise.
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