Chase Marburger talked about the growing opioid crises and urged parents to be vigilant about keeping track of and safely storing and using prescription medication.
CVS Pharmacy and Westerville Parent Council joined forces to present a seminar called One Choice to educate families, staff and students about prescription drug abuse. The event took place on Thursday evening, October 3, in the Westerville North High School Media Center.
Chase Marburger, a Westerville City Schools graduate and CVS pharmacist, was the guest speaker. The program is part of CVS’ Pharmacists Teach, designed to educate teens and parents about prescription drug abuse, offered at no cost.
Audience members learned that prescription opioid use is at an all-time high in the United States. In fact, although our country makes up just five percent of the world’s population, we use 99 percent of the world’s hydrocodone (also known as Vicodin) and 80 percent of its oxycodone (also known as Percocet or Oxycontin).
Unfortunately, these medications come with a high potential for addiction and abuse. What starts out as a legitimately prescribed medical treatment following an injury or surgery can quickly spiral out of control, claiming lives and damaging families in the process.
Teens are particularly at risk. Peer pressure, ease of access and a general lack of knowledge about the risks of prescription drug abuse can make for a deadly combination. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that someone dies of an unintentional drug overdose every 19 minutes.
Research shows that 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.