The White House recently announced a series of public service TV ads will begin around the time of the Superbowl. The subject is prescription drug abuse and they’re being run in response to a recent report that 2 million teens abuse prescription drugs. I believe these educational ads will help, but people who are already abusing prescription drugs, or dependent on or addicted to them, might also need drug detox and, possibly, drug rehab. In fact, this applies whether you’re using them legally or illegally.

Although the White House is acknowledging prescription drug abuse as serious, I think it’s possible that the real scope of the problem is being underestimated – the problem isn’t just with prescription drug abuse, it also extends to legal use. In Southeast Michigan, for example, 36% of kids from grades 7 through 12 are taking prescription drugs as prescribed by their doctor, according to a recent survey. A large percentage are also sharing their drugs with other kids – some of whom have their own prescriptions, and some who don’t.

The drugs they surveyed for were the most dangerous – opioid painkillers like OxyContin, sleeping pills, sedatives, tranquilizers, stimulants and anti-anxiety drugs. Most of which could require drug detox and, possibly, drug rehab to quit.

There’s no reason to suspect that any other school district, in any other state, is any different. And the situation doesn’t get much better, if any, when those kids get into college.

I think sales numbers from drug companies would help us figure out how big this problem really is, and would help us digest the actual number of people addicted to or dependent on prescription drugs. Whatever the number is, it is a very serious problem and needs very serious action. Again, drug education will help but without adequate drug detox and drug rehab program facilities to help people get off these drugs, we’ll still have untold millions of people taking them.

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