UFY to host film on drug abuse

| February 3, 2017 12:14 PM

Submitted by Amy Fantozzi

Unite for Youth’s Youth Leadership Team hosts screening of “Out of Reach”, a short film about prescription drug abuse created by a teen filmmaker at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 22, 2017 at the Ponderosa Room at Libby City Hall.

Expert Panel discussion to follow with area law enforcement, healthcare, prevention and treatment providers

Dallas native and high school student Cyrus Stowe was selected by entertainment company Genart and Partnership for Drug-Free Kids to turn his entry into a short documentary with the help of director Tucker Capps (of A&E’s “Intervention”). The short documentary, entitled “Out of Reach,” captures the issue of teen prescription drug abuse as it exists in Cyrus’ world, and is a reflection of the issue of teen medicine abuse across the country.

?• One in six teens has used a prescription (Rx) drug to get high or change their mood.

?• Sixty-five percent of teens abusing Rx drugs report accessing them through the home medicine cabinet or the medicine cabinet of a friend or relative.

?• Children who learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to use drugs than those who do not get this information at home (NIDA, 2016).

Isabelle Kapan, Libby eighth grader and member of UFY’s media team, said “Nobody really thinks about kids using their parents’ prescription drugs, but it’s happening. We think it’s important to raise awareness.” “We want to show parents or guardians the steps they can take to prevent it,” UFY Youth Leader Gabby Fantozzi adds.

Lincoln County Unite for Youth is a team of parents, educators, youth, business and medical professionals, youth serving organizations, faith community, law enforcement and treatment professionals, prevention specialists, civic and volunteer groups committed to reducing youth substance use through collaborative community-level prevention efforts.

To learn more about the film and the event, Contact Lincoln County Unite For Youth at (406) 334-3602 or lincolncountyuniteforyouth@gmail.com