Slide 2:
In the United States, prescription drug abuse has skyrocketed into an epidemic. Some individuals start out as legitimate drug users but as time progresses; they may find themselves using those drugs for recreational purposes. It is indeed a fine line between legitimate and abuse of these legitimate drugs; distinctions on this two categories will be examined in detail in the subsequent parts of the essays.
Slide 3:
Just as there are street venders for other common illegal drugs, there are also rising cases of prescription drugs in the streets. This has become very lucrative for most dealers because they realize that addicts are quite needy and they can sell the drugs for six times the price or even more. It was found that a drug that may cost ten dollars at pharmacy would be sold at one hundred dollars in the streets. For example OxyContin Pill (80 milligrams) is sold at six dollars in pharmacies but this may be multiplied to sixty five dollars out there. Most people will go for this alternative when the drugs they require are not over-the-counter drugs.
Slide 4:
On the other hand, others may not be genuine. They go in the guise of being sick and make appeals to different members of their family at different times so as to get high numbers of prescription drugs. Recently, there have been similar cases among teenagers called ‘pharming parties’. In these parties, teenagers normally bring whatever types of prescription drugs they can lay their hands on and exchange them with their friends. Such parties are responsible for the rising cases of multiple drug induced emergency cases.
Slide 5:
There are a number pf preventive measures that can be adopted to solve this problem. First of all, different peer groups can be educated about the dangers of prescription drugs because some cases may arise out of lack of knowledge. For example, some teenagers take prescription drugs in excess amounts with the assumption that those drugs are medically approved and are therefore safe. This is a big misconception that can be eradicated by introduction of drug- education- programs within schools.
Slide 6:
Prescription drug abuse like any other form of abuse has adverse effects on a user’s family and themselves. The problem is worsened by illegal businesses online, unlimited access to doctors via the internet and through patient scams. These issues need be handled proactively rather than reactively through education and use of other medical alternatives other than drugs for treatment. Such an approach will go a long way in preventing future drug abuses. (Gever, 2003)