Prescription drugs pose a serious epidemic on college campuses

 Before I left for college, I sat down with both of my parents for the “be safe and responsible” chat. They warned me about three things: drinking, sex and studying. My father urged me to drink in moderation, while my mother politely explained to me that she would castrate me if I ever got a girl pregnant. Then, both of them told me that college is supposed to be fun, but I’m there to get an education.

While this was a chat I didn’t forget, there was one thing we never discussed. Namely, prescription drug abuse —what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls the fastest growing problem in the United States.

In the U. S., a study done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration saw 9 million people, ages 18-25, use prescription medication for non-medical use. In Pennsylvania, the mortality rate from prescription drug overdoses came in at eight deaths per 100,000 cases in 1999. In 2010, that number rose 89 percent to 15 deaths per 100,000 cases, according to a report by Trust for America’s Health. That same year, a study done by the CDC showed more deaths from prescription drug overdoses than car accidents.

Internationally, 80 percent of the world’s pain medication is consumed in the United States This unbelievable consumption rate only enhances the possibility for drug abuse. In fact, someone overdoses on prescription drugs every 19 minutes, according to  Dr. Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent for CNN.

Fatal overdoses from prescription painkillers have more than tripled since 1991, according to the CDC. Sadly, people between 18 and 25 years of age make up the bulk of that group.

While much of the focus has surrounded prescription painkillers, which cause more overdose deaths “than cocaine and heroin combined,” according to the CDC, we as college students see other types of prescription drug abuse almost daily. Adderall, Ritalin and other “study drugs” are rampant on college campuses, Pitt included. This high frequency shouldn’t make the use of such drugs acceptable. In fact, we should be pursuing initiatives to diminish the abundance of drug abuse on college campuses nationwide. Although painkillers and amphetamines are from different drug families and have different potentials for abuse, both have potential for dependency. The National Institute on Drug Abuse noted that when a behavioral motivation to obtain the drug is formed, an addiction to the drug quickly follows.

The world of prescription medication is a slippery slope for college students who are under constant pressure and continuously pressed for time. What begins with taking Adderall to study for an upcoming midterm quickly becomes taking Adderall to study for all of your midterms and finals. The frequency of use explodes once students realize they can increase their concentration. Unwisely, some people turn to prescription drugs for help, and before they know it, they have lost control.

In 2010, five students at Columbia University were arrested after a five-month New York City police investigation dubbed “Operation Ivy League,” which uncovered a stash of prescription medications and illicit drugs along with thousands of dollars in cash. The students involved included “a neuroscience major, a former student council vice-president, and a Gates Millennium Scholarship recipient,” according to a New York Times article.

This year, Ohio State University held a conference to address the growing abuse of prescription medication by college students. More than 100 people from 27 campuses, including about a dozen from Ohio, have signed up to develop strategies to take back to their schools, according to the Columbus Dispatch. One of the proposed speakers at the conference, Karen Perry, who created the nonprofit group Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education in 2004, lost her 21 year-old son to a prescription drug overdose in 2003.

According to Perry, her son’s drug issues began in college when he started to abuse prescription painkillers.

As college students, it is our job to look after those closest to us — our friends. While other universities work to fix the issue, we as Pitt students should begin to help out, as well. Forums and task forces should be implemented to ensure that students are aware of the dangers of prescription drugs while those who use such drugs unlawfully can obtain help to break that trend.

Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic, especially in college students, and unfortunately, it is not something that can be cured with vaccines. It begins with each and every one of us taking the time to understand how dangerous these drugs can be and the warning signs associated with abuse. We must conduct initiatives that exemplify the works of Ohio State University to at least begin the conversation on the adverse effects of drug abuse. No one ever wants to admit that they have a problem, but those people are out there and in need of help. If we educate ourselves, then we can educate others, and together we can eradicate such an epidemic.

Write Brett at brettdresner@gmail.com.