WASHINGTON – Sens. Joe Biden and Chuck Grassley today introduced a resolution that would designate this August as “National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month.”
The resolution encourages communities to carry out programs and activities to educate parents and youth about the growing problem and the danger of medicine abuse.
“Over-the-counter and prescription medicines are supposed to help save lives and aid in healthy living, but there are astounding statistics of children and young adults abusing medicines to get high. Prescription drug abuse is the nation's second-largest abuse problem behind marijuana and is the sole category in which drug abuse is rising,” Grassley said. “We need to raise awareness of the problem so that families and schools can teach their children and students about the dangers of medicine abuse before it’s too late.”
Biden and Grassley are the Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. Grassley has used his leadership role on this Caucus to help stop the problems of meth and other illegal drug problems in Iowa and the He has recently co-sponsored the Methamphetamine Production Prevention Act of 2007, which helps states create electronic logbook systems that can monitor sales of psuedoephedrine.
“Just like with illegal drugs, it takes a comprehensive effort on all fronts involving doctors, pharmacists, patients, parents, schools, communities, local law enforcement and governing bodies to deal with the problem of prescription drug abuse,” Grassley said. “Our next generation will be much better off if we can nip this problem in the bud.”