Courtesy Generation Rx
The American Pharmacists Association strives to teach the youth of Mississippi about the dangers of over-the-counter medication and prescription drugs.
The association just finished their Generation Rx initiative for the semester. The program, held April 24-27, included speaking with seventh through 10th graders about how prescription and over-the-counter drugs, although beneficial, can be dangerous if abused or not taken properly. This was the first year the American Pharmacists Association was able to do this, and they hope to branch out to other schools in the future.
Jordan L. Kelley, pharmacy student, explained why the program lasted for one week.
“We just did it for one week because we have never talked to students before and wanted to get a feel for how we come across to them,” Kelley said.
The American Pharmacists Association gave presentations and involved the students in their projects. Kelley explained how difficult it can be to relay the message to a younger crowd, since younger people are often under the impression that bad things aren’t going to happen to them.
“We thought it would be a good idea to show these students what addiction is like and hopefully prevent addiction before it starts,” Kelley said.
Kelsey Stephens, a first year pharmacy student and the president-elect for the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists chapter at Ole Miss, coordinated and developed Generation Rx.
Stephens said the idea for Generation Rx originated from the increase in prescription drug abuse in recent years.
“We decided to address this issue by educating the youth in the local community,” Stephens said.
Stephens said prescription drug abuse is an important issue that needs to be addressed early on.
“We believe that making an impact on students at a young age will affect their future livelihoods by helping them better understand the dangers of improper use of prescription and over-the-counter medications,” Stephens said.
Kelley said a lot of people assume that because a drug has been prescribed by a doctor, it must be safe.
“Some people don’t even realize they are abusing them,” Kelley said. “They just assume they are safe for you.”
Kelley described events called “pharm parties,” where students take their parents’ prescription drugs to other people’s houses, put them all in a bowl, and take pills at random. In some cases, these are causing adverse effects, and can result in death.
“They are not just taking pain killers, but diabetic and blood pressure medications, not even knowing what they do,” Kelley said.
