Print
Category: Health News

Sacramento, California - Prescription medication abuse and misuse is a national epidemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Statistics

What is California Doing?

In response to this national epidemic, the California Department of Education partnered with the California Department of Public Health and other state entities to convene an Opioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention Work Group in the spring of 2014. The work group will engage physicians, health care professionals, patients, consumers, and the general public, including parents/guardians and schools, to deliver the following messages:

A major milestone occurred in October 2014, when the Medical Board of California revised its Guidelines for Prescribing Controlled Substances for Pain  (PDF; 3MB).

What Can You Do?

Parents/guardians should:

Resources

National Institute on Drug Abuse 
Resources for parents and educators, including fact sheets on various drugs and prevention materials.

Partnership for Drug-Free Kids  
Resources to reduce teen substance abuse and support families impacted by addiction.

Prescription Drug Overdose in the United States Fact Sheet 

Up and Away—Safe Medicine Storage for Families     
An educational program to remind families of the importance of safe medicine storage.