Drop-off boxes get drugs out of the house

Prescription drug abuse has been classified as an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Nationwide, approximately 60 percent of teens say that access to prescription drugs is easy via their home medicine cabinets or that of a friend or relative, said Joan Whitney, director of Substance Abuse Prevention for the city of Gloucester. Easy access and low perception of harm by youths creates a recipe for danger for misuse with the possibility of dependency that can lead to addiction.

The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that very day, on average, 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time.

Whitney said prescription drug abuse is not only a community and family concern, but also a concern for prescribers and, ultimately, law enforcement.

In 2007, approximately 27,000 overdose deaths occurred in the United States, Whitney said, explaining that equates to one death every 19 minutes.

Whitney said the Centers for Disease Control cites two general categories as contributing to problems from use those in need of long-term medical use of opioids and those who report non-medical use.

Gloucester, as other communities throughout Massachusetts and the nation, has struggled with effects of prescription drug misuse and abuse, some of which cannot be controlled locally, she said.

Thats where the Healthy Gloucester Collaborative, a community coalition part of the city of Gloucester Health Department, comes in.

The mission of the coalition is to prevent youth substance use, support all residents by increasing prevention education, increasing access to treatment for those in need and save lives for those struggling with addiction.

While still a challenge, by joining stakeholders and support of grant funding, a concerted effort to reduce the problem and save lives has resulted in increased prevention and education programs, many sustained in the community, Whitney said.

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Drop-off boxes get drugs out of the house