TakeCare WV, a partner of the Center for Civic Life Institute, has created a number of PSAs (Public Service Announcements) pushing a strong message of the medical danger and criminal punishment when prescription drugs are shared.
-From 2001-2006, approximately 97% of unintentional poisoning deaths in WV involved drugs or alcohol rather than other noxious substances.
-In 2006, 93.2% of the WV’s 295 fatal overdoses involved prescription pain medication.
-Most prescription drug abusers obtain their drugs from family and friends. In WV, 64% nonmedical users of pain relievers reported getting the most recently used drug from a friend or relative for free, and another 7.6% reported buying them from a friend or relative.
-Sharing prescription drugs is illegal. Prescription drugs are controlled substances and may NOT be dispensed without a written prescription from a practitioner.
