Should a Doctor Give Pain Medicine to a Child?

Should a Doctor Give Pain Medicine to a Child?

A national Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign “You Decide Before They Prescribe” is geared at educating parents on the link between prescribed prescription pain medicine and heroin abuse.

It encourages parents to speak to their doctor regarding the addictive qualities of pain medicine and the possible alternatives.

The campaign, created by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ), was unveiled on the 42nd St. Digital Cube, on 42nd Street and 8th Avenue and will immediately begin appearing in transit locations throughout New York and New Jersey.

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The campaign is also being utilized by community coalitions and substance abuse prevention alliances throughout the United States.

The campaign release comes as New Jersey commemorates “Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month” and the levels of opiate abuse in New Jersey and the U.S. continue to rise.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued national guidelines for physicians prescribing pain medicine, in an effort to reduce the scope of the epidemic.

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According to the CDC, opioid pain relievers that are abused were most often obtained via prescription from physicians and since 2000, the rate of deaths from drug overdoses has increased 137%, including a 200% increase in the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids and users of prescription drugs are 40 times more likely to use heroin.

Best known for its statewide anti-drug advertising campaign, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey is a private not-for-profit coalition of professionals from the communications, corporate and government communities whose collective mission is to reduce the demand for illicit drugs in New Jersey through media communication.