West Virginia Plans Forums and Media Campaign to Stop Medicine Abuse

A statewide social marketing and media campaign in West Virgina may be just what the doctor ordered. The "Take Care West Virginia: RX Drug Abuse Prevention Campaign" hopes public service announcements, a new website www.takecarewv.org, prescription bags that include the campaign message and town hall-style forums and discussions will be the cure for their prescription drug abuse problem.

“It’s a simple message and it seems to be common sense,” said West Virginia Prevention Resource Center communications specialist Michele Burnside: Please don't share prescription drugs. Only take RX medication as advised by your doctor. Burnside calls the illegal act of taking a prescribed medication that is for someone else dangerous for all ages of West Virginians.

Her colleague in prevention, Gregory Puckett, agreed. “We must get rid of this sharing culture. It starts at home,” he said. 

Data indicate social access (sharing) is a major contributor to the misuse of prescription drugs. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, most prescription drug abusers obtain their drugs from family and friends. In West Virginia, 64 percent of nonmedical users of pain relievers reported getting the most recently used drug from a friend or relative for free, and another 7.6 percent reported buying them from a friend or relative.

Puckett, Executive Director for Community Connections, Inc. and a CADCA Coalition Advisory Committee member, said 38 out of 55 county coalitions in the state will hold a number of community forums to educate people about the dangers of prescription drug abuse as well as to collect anecdotal data that coalitions can take back to their area and use to build future policy and environmental changes. His organization will also host a forum.

“As the state CADCA Association, we fully support the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center in getting this information to the local community coalitions,” Puckett said.

Forums are starting this month and conclude at the end of September when Start now and run through end of September when the prescription bags will start to be distributed to pharmacies operated by corporations as well as small businesses.