National Family Partnership Calls on Parents to 'Lock ...( Prescription Drug Abuse Among Childr...),Health

Prescription Drug Abuse Among Children and Teens Often Begins with the Family Medicine Cabinet

MIAMI, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Family Partnership (NFP) has declared October 27th( )"Lock Your Meds" Day. The occasion is a call to action for parents to take a stand against the trend in prescription drug abuse among children and teens.

Statistics show that more than 6.2 million people age 12 and older abused prescription drugs in the last month (1). Only 4.7 percent of people 12 and older who abuse prescription drugs get them from a stranger, drug dealer or the Internet (1).( )In fact, 56 percent obtained the drug they most recently abused from friends or relatives (1).( )

"We know that prescription drug abuse among kids starts with access to the family's medicine cabinet," said Peggy Sapp, President and CEO of NFP. "With more than 4,000 children and young adults experimenting with prescription drugs every day (2)( ), this day is intended as a wakeup call for all parents to take responsibility for what is happening in their home and lock up their prescription medications. Parents literally hold the key to their children's drug-free future."

The second generation "Lock Your Meds" Day is part of the 24th annual Red Ribbon Week during October 23-31, the oldest and largest drug abuse prevention program in the United States. To help reach children and teens with the drug-free messages during this time, NFP reaches out to more than 91,000 schools across the country and encourages these schools and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drug abuse.

King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a proud partner of NFP and "Lock Your Meds" Day.

NFP urges parents and family members to take the following steps to prevent teen prescription drug abuse:

• Lock your prescription medication and prevent abuse or misuse by securing the medication in your home.
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