County Executive Robert P. Astorino recently talked about the efforts of the Westchester Coalition for Drug and Alcohol Free Youth to educate parents about the serious consequences of prescription drug abuse by teenagers, at a news conference at Marinelli's Village Pharmacy in Elmsford.
Others that attended included:
- Marc Levitt, the pharmacist/owner of the store, one of 80 pharmacies that is participating in the county’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Pharmacy Campaign;
- Vito J. Pinto, director of the Westchester County Office of Drug Prevention and STOP-DWI, whose office chairs the Westchester Coalition for Drug and Alcohol Abuse;
- Ellen Morehouse, the executive director of Student Assistance Services, a nonprofit agency that works with the county and many of its school districts on drug and alcohol issues, presented 2011 survey results regarding Westchester teen prescription drug abuse;
- Dr. Robert Marcus, director of Northern Westchester Hospital Medical Center Emergency Department, who spoke on the dangers of prescription drug abuse;
- Kathryn Valencia, of the Mount Kisco Lexington Center for Recovery Clinic, a treatment program for adolescents and adults.
"Prescription drug abuse is considered the nation’s fastest-growing drug problem," said Astorino. “There is no one solution to this, but education of our teens, their parents and even their grandparents about the real risks of misusing and abusing these drugs is vital.”
Said Pinto: “Teens may perceive prescription drugs as safer to abuse than illegal drugs, and easy access to unused prescription medications in the home may exacerbate the issue. However, when abused, prescription drugs are just as dangerous and just as addictive as drugs like methamphetamine or heroin.”
The campaign with pharmacies was launched by the county and coalition three years ago because studies show that people are more likely to heed medical advice from healthcare professionals.
This is one of a number of efforts by the county and the coalition to deter the abuse of prescription drugs by teens and others. In addition:
- In April, the county and the coalition, as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, collected more than 1,400 pounds of medication that were destroyed at a county facility.
- The coalition and county sent letters to sports medicine physicians, orthopedists and oral surgeons, among others, alerting them to the issue and encouraging them to educate their patients about the risks.
- The coalition and county have sponsored numerous conferences for school personnel, nurses and clergy to raise awareness about this issue.