The audience I will be addressing is parents, caregivers and school educators about the dangers of prescription drugs and how we can better educate teenagers and young adults on the dangers of abusing them. There are many ways that we can teach and educate our teenagers and young adults, but it’s important that families, schools and communities are involved. The rate of prescription drug overdose among teenagers and young adults have sky rocketed over the past several years. This has become a growing epidemic and if we don’t step in and do something, this problem will only get worse. No parent or caregiver ever wants to lose a child and it can be especial harder knowing that you could have helped prevent it. Some people say it’s the schools job to education this subject and others say that education starts at home. Where can our parents/caregivers get the information they need to help better understand the problem itself and to help safe guard their children? Who would be the best influence to talk to our teens and young adults? In my essay I will explain why it’s so important that schools and parents/caregivers need to both educate and talk to our young adults and teens. (205)
Kara Gordon
Prescription Drug Abuse among Teens and Young Adults Prescription drug misuse and overdose among teens and young adults is one of the fastest growing health epidemics in the United States. While there has been a marked decrease in the use of some illegal drugs like cocaine, data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that nearly one-third of people aged 12 and over whom used drugs for the first time began by using a prescription drug non-medically.
The amount of controlled substances dispensed and used non medically is scary considering that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that opioid drugs, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, caused more than 15,500 overdose deaths in 2010 and
Cited: Schachter, Ron. “A New Prescription for Fighting Drug Abuse.” District Administration 48.2 (2012): 41-42,