Nov. 12 set as National Drug Awareness Day

Because an alarming number of young people are intentionally abusing prescription medicines to get high, the Drug Abuse Awareness Council has set Nov. 12 as National Day to recognize the unauthorized use of prescription drugs.

In Libby, local law enforcement officials held a drug turn-in at Libby Drug.  Prescription Drug Abuse affects the abuser, their families, their neighbors and their community.

 Emergency room visits are doubling and there has been a 400 percent increase in substance abuse treatments related to the abuse of prescription drugs, said Angelo M. Valente, CEO of the American Medicine Chest Challenge.

More than 6 million Americans say they have used prescription medication for a non-medical purpose in the past 30 days, and, we know, 70 percent of people who are abusing prescription pain relievers obtained them from the medicine chests of friends and relatives, Valente said.

Across the board the numbers related to prescription drug abuse are going in the wrong direction, Valente said.