Did you know that every day, 2,500 kids age 12 to 17 try a painkiller for the first time? Or that prescription drugs are the drugs of choice among 12 and 13 year olds? We have a big problem on our hands, considering the fact that teens abuse prescription drugs more than any illicit street drug except marijuana. What’s also disturbing is they don’t realize these drugs can be as dangerous as street drugs. So kids who would never try street drugs might feel safe abusing prescription drugs.
   
One way to reduce youth-access to these drugs is to properly conceal and dispose of old or unused medicines and safeguard all drugs at home.  Keep in mind that unused medicine and drugs that are flushed down the drain can also impose a danger to the environment by ending up in our waterways and polluting the environment.  We’re all responsible for our community’s youth and the environment.  Each one of us can do something about it, right now.
The Coalition for a Drug Free Nevada County, Nevada County Recycles, and the Grass Valley Police Department are pleased to announce Nevada County’s first Rx Permanent Collection Site for proper disposal of prescription drugs.  Narcotics can be anonymously disposed of inside the Grass Valley Police Department in a collection bin. Non-narcotics should be recycled at the McCourtney Transfer Station.  Please do your best to transfer prescriptions in their original containers and use a marker to cover only your personal information. For more details please go to www.DrugFreeNevadaCounty.org.

Parents are in an influential position to immediately help reduce teen access to prescription drugs because these drugs are found in the home. But how aware are you? Think about this: would you know if some of your pills were missing? From this day forward, make sure you can honestly answer, 'yes.'

        •    Start by taking note of how many pills are in each of your prescription bottles or pill packets.

        •    Keep track of your refills. This goes for your own medication, as well as for your teens and other members of the household.  If you find you need to refill your medication more often than expected that could indicate a problem.

        •    If your teen has been prescribed a drug, be sure you control the medication and monitor dosages and refills.

        •    Make sure your friends and relatives — especially grandparents — are also aware of the risks.  Encourage them to regularly monitor their own medicine cabinets.

        •    If there are other households your teen has access to, talk to those families as well about the importance of helping safeguard medications.

        •    Take prescription medications out of the medicine cabinet and hide them in a place only you know about.

        •    If possible, keep all medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter, in a safe place, such as a locked cabinet your teen cannot access.

        •    Tell relatives, especially grandparents, to lock their medications or keep them in a safe place.

Talk to the parents of your teenager's friends.  Encourage them to secure their prescriptions. Help us protect Nevada County’s teens and waterways by using the collection site.