Resources and Guidelines for Substance Abuse Prevention in Albion Michigan

About Albion

Although Albion Michigan has one of the most stable populations of all Michigan cities according to the latest U.S. Census data, there are still significant challenges to our population. Albion High school was listed on Michigan’s “Persistently Low Achieving Schools,” and also listed in the bottom 5 percent of public schools in the state. (See article and video courtesy Albion College Pleiad.)

Local Resources Include

Calhoun County Referrals for Substance Abuse and Family Issues

Substance Abuse Providers Annual Prevention Plan – Albion – excel download – see some selected excerpts below

Federal Guidelines and Information

Proper_Medicine_Disposal – Updated Federal Guidelines – 2009

National Survey on Drug Use and Health – In 2010, an estimated 22.6 million
Americans (8.9 percent) aged 12 or older were current (past-month) users of illicit drugs.  While the prevalence of the non-medical use of prescription drugs has been relatively stable in
recent years, the consequences of their abuse have been rising.

National Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Strategy – Highlights:

• Education. A crucial first step in tackling the problem of prescription drug abuse is to educate parents, youth, and patients about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs, while requiring prescribers to receive education on the appropriate and safe use, and proper storage and disposal of prescription drugs.
• Monitoring. Implement prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) in every state to reduce “doctor shopping” and diversion, and enhance PDMPs to make sure they can share data across states and are used by healthcare providers.
• Proper Medication Disposal. Develop convenient and environmentally responsible prescription drug disposal programs to help decrease the supply of unused prescription drugs in the home.
• Enforcement. Provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to eliminate improper prescribing practices and stop pill mills.

 

Prescription Drug Dangers

The abuse of prescription drugs-such as pain relievers, depressants, and stimulants-is on the rise among youth. In fact, nearly 1 in 5 (19 percent) or 4.7 million youth reporting trying prescription or over -the -counter (OTC) drugs for recreational use in the last year (Partnership for a Drug Free America, 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study).

Adults in our community are in a unique position to impact this growing trend by reducing youth access to these substances in their home and talking to the youth in their lives about the dangers of prescription and OTC drug misuse and abuse. That is why we are asking Kalamazoo County to SECURE YOUR MEDS!

Although millions of Americans benefit from the proper use of prescription drugs, they can be dangerous when taken without medical supervision or mixed with other drugs or alcohol. Youth who abuse prescription drugs to get high can suffer immediate serious consequences including: addiction, hallucinations, strokes, seizures, comas, and even death.