Parents Should Be Aware of Prescription Drug Abuse This School Year
Posted on August 26, 2009In the past, most parents didn’t have to worry about prescription drug abuse among their children. But times have changed, and prescription medication abuse is continually increasing across the nation, especially among adolescents. In Wisconsin, local school and law enforcement officials say that prescription drug abuse is an issue that shouldn’t be ignored.
Bruce King, Marshfield School District superintendent, said that parents whose children take prescription medication should contact their child’s school to learn specific policies, because state statutes require schools to take strict precautions when administering prescription drugs to students.
While prescribed drugs given out by school employees with parent approval are carefully monitored, it’s the prescription medications children might take without supervision that have officials concerned.
Parents need to talk with children about the dangers of taking prescription drugs that belong to someone else or misusing their own medication, said Wisconsin Rapids Officer Andy Dewitt, school liaison officer. Children are curious, so they’re likely to experiment with prescription drugs that are easily accessible, he said.
Dewitt told the story of a teenager who started having seizures and had to be taken to the hospital because she overdosed on medication used to help people stop smoking. Friends told her the pills would give her a “good high.”
Dewitt recommends having a system in place that ensures prescription medications are locked and secure. Accessibility to prescription drugs at home is often much easier than to alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs, said Wisconsin Rapids Police Officer Todd Andrys, who works as the school safety officer in Wisconsin Rapids.
Parents should keep track of the number of prescription pills in the house—both for them and for their children. If medication appears to be missing, they should ask their children questions. Expired and unused medications are also a concern. “I encourage parents or anyone to get rid of those medications they’re no longer using," Andrys said.
Getting caught with someone else’s prescription or selling prescription drugs at school can lead to considerable trouble. Wisconsin Rapids School District Superintendent Bob Crist said a student found to be giving prescription drugs to another student will be subject to an expulsion hearing. Students caught with prescription drugs also are referred to social services for appropriate action and could end up with a juvenile record. If they’re 17 years old or older, they might face criminal charges in adult court.
