FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 25, 2012) — Attorney General Jack Conway is participating in a new national action campaign to end prescription drug abuse among teenagers.
As Co-Chair of the National Association of Attorneys General’s (NAAG) Substance Abuse Committee, Conway joined with The Partnership at Drugfree.org this week as it launched a multi-year initiative called The Medicine Abuse Project. The project’s goal is to prevent half a million teens from abusing prescription medications within five years.
“Non-medical use or abuse of prescription painkillers is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States and it is killing our kids,” Conway said. “This is an epidemic that is beginning in homes across Kentucky and the nation.”
One person dies every 19 minutes in the United States from an overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Kentucky, more than 1,000 people die each year from prescription drug overdoses.
“More Kentuckians die from overdoses than traffic accidents,” Conway said. “Research also shows that as many as one in five teens say they have taken a prescription drug without having a prescription for it. That’s why I continue to travel the state warning students about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and urging parents to secure and monitor all medications in the home and safely dispose of unused pills by means of a dedicated drop box or prescription drug take-back events.”
For more information on Conway’s drug diversion efforts or the Keep Kentucky Kids Safe program, click here.
As part of The Medicine Abuse Project, General Conway encourages individuals to sign the Pledge, committing to learn about teen medicine abuse, safeguard prescription drugs in the home and to talk to teens about the issue.
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