110 SRES 614 ATS: Designating the month of August 2008 as U.S. Senate 2008-07-16 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

III 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 614 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 16, 2008 Mr. Biden (for himself and Mr. Grassley) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary September 22 (legislative day, September 17), 2008 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating the month of August 2008 as “National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month”.

Whereas over-the-counter and prescription medicines are extremely safe, effective, and potentially lifesaving when used properly; Whereas the abuse and recreational use of over-the-counter and prescription medicines can be extremely dangerous and produce serious side effects; Whereas in a recently sampled month, 7,000,000 individuals aged 12 or older reported using prescription psychotherapeutic medicines for nonmedical purposes; Whereas abuse of prescription medicines, including pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives is second only to marijuana, the number 1 illegal drug of abuse in the United States; Whereas recent studies indicate that 2,400,000 children, or 1 in 10 children aged 12 through 17, have intentionally abused cough medicine to get high from the ingredient dextromethorphan; Whereas 4,500,000, or 1 in 5, young adults have used prescription medicines for nonmedical purposes; Whereas according to research from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, more than 1/3 of teens mistakenly believe that taking prescription drugs, even if not prescribed by a doctor, is much safer than using more traditional street drugs; Whereas the lack of understanding by teens and parents of the potential harms of these powerful prescription drugs makes raising public awareness about the dangers of the misuse of such drugs more critical than ever; Whereas misused prescription drugs are most often obtained through friends and relatives; Whereas misused prescription drugs are also obtained through rogue Internet pharmacies; Whereas parents should be aware that the Internet gives teens access to websites that promote medicine abuse; Whereas National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month promotes the messages that over-the-counter and prescription medicines should be taken only as labeled or prescribed, and that taking over-the-counter and prescription medicines for recreational uses or in large doses can have serious and life-threatening consequences; Whereas National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month will encourage parents to become educated about prescription drug abuse and talk to teens about all types of substance abuse; Whereas observance of National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month should be encouraged at the national, State, and local levels to increase awareness of the misuse of medicines; Whereas some groups, including the Consumer Healthcare Products Association and the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America, have taken important steps by creating educational toolkits, including “A Dose of Prevention: Stopping Cough Medicine Abuse Before it Starts”, which provides guides to educate parents, teachers, law enforcement officials, doctors and healthcare professionals, and retailers about the potential dangers of abusing over-the-counter cough and cold medicines; Whereas the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and community alliance and affiliate partners have undertaken a nationwide prevention campaign utilizing research-based educational advertisements, public relations and news media, and the Internet to inform parents about the negative teen behavior of intentional abuse of medicines so that parents are empowered to effectively communicate the facts about this dangerous trend with teens and to take necessary steps to safeguard prescription and over-the-counter medicines at home; and Whereas educating the public about the dangers of medicine abuse and promoting prevention is a critical component of what must be a multi-pronged effort to curb the disturbing rise in medicine misuse: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)designates the month of August 2008 as “National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month”; and (2)urges communities to carry out appropriate programs and activities to educate parents and youth about the potential dangers associated with medicine abuse.