More than half of parents say their kids have access to the parents’ prescription drugs, and one in seven say they’ve given their children prescription pain medication that wasn’t prescribed to the kids. That’s according to a survey of 300 Massachusetts parents with children aged 12 to 25, which was released today during a briefing at the Massachusetts State House.
“Prescription drug abuse is of critical concern in the Commonwealth and is a top priority for our Committee,” Representative Liz Malia (D-Boston), House chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, said in a news release.
The survey was conducted by the Partnership at Drugfree.org, a nonprofit educational organization that provides resources to parents who suspect that their child is abusing drugs or alcohol. The briefing marked the statewide roll-out of the Partnership’s Time To Act community education program, funded by Purdue Pharma, which has already been implement in Lynn, South Boston, Dorchester and Lowell.
“The survey findings are alarming and indicate that parents are often providing prescription drugs to their kids in an improper and dangerous manner,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Partnership at Drugfree.org. “Add to that their acknowledgment that their children have ready access to potentially dangerous pain relievers, and we have a high-risk situation in homes across the Commonwealth.”
More people in Massachusetts die from fatal overdoses than from car accidents each year, according to Pasierb, and an average of 12 state residents die each week from overdoses from opiod painkillers.
The survey also found that more than one-quarter of Massachusetts parents reported that they have taken prescription pain medications not prescribed for them. Nearly one-third of parents have unused pain medications at home “in case someone in the family needs them,” while only one in five have spoken to their child’s grandparents about safeguarding medicines in their homes.
Where parents keep prescription drugs can affect whether kids have access to them. Keeping pills stashed away in a hidden spot in the bedroom rather than, say, in the kitchen can help keep kids from finding them and experimenting. Some parents might need to keep their medications locked in a cabinet along with any alcohol if they know their kids will get into them.
According to Drugfree.org, the average age of first-time drug use in America is about 13-and-a-half. The group encourages parents to talk to middle-schoolers casually about drugs, rather than having a “big drug talk,” to find out if kids are hearing about drug highs from friends. As kids hit high school, parents can be more specific by asking if, say, they know about the dangerous of taking prescription painkillers like Percocet, or if anyone has gained access to them for recreational purposes.
The key, Pasierb recommended, is to have a general conversation rather than a one-sided lecture. “The net of the conversation to your kid is that you’re worried, and that this isn’t an acceptable thing in your lives and family.”