An online toolkit called “Generation Rx University” aims to reduce prescription drug abuse among college students. The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy and the Cardinal Health Foundation have teamed up to introduce the program to help college and university students, faculty and staff on campuses across the country educate others about the misconceptions, realities and dangers of prescription drug abuse among 18-to 25-year olds.
A new poll finds 52 percent of Americans say doctors should have limits on the amount and dosage of pain medication they are allowed to prescribe. Almost half of those surveyed said prescription drug addiction is a major U.S. health problem.
New York state is introducing new driver licenses engraved with a “ghost image” that floats in a transparent window, in an effort to crack down on fake IDs used for underage drinking. Other states may follow suit, BBC News reports.
Florida’s success in combating prescription drug abuse is due to a combination of law enforcement and legislative action, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Minnesota, which has outlawed synthetic drugs, is still seeing cases of exposure to the substances, according to TwinCities.com.
A new Arizona law bans the basic chemical formulas of synthetic drugs. Law enforcement officials hope the law will be an improvement over a previous law that was frequently thwarted by synthetic drug makers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has unveiled a new series of anti-smoking ads designed to appeal to people’s emotions. They follow anti-smoking ads released last year, which the CDC said had a strong impact across the country.
Experts are meeting this week to discuss how to stop the epidemic of prescription drug abuse, according to the Orlando Sentinel. They include leaders from government, the pharmaceutical industry, and public health and safety groups.
United Parcel Service has agreed to settle an investigation into online pharmacy shipments, The Wall Street Journal reports. The company will forfeit $40 million in payments it received from illicit online pharmacies, and will not be prosecuted.
As a growing number of employers institute policies that ban hiring smokers, medical ethicists debated the policy in the New England Journal of Medicine. One group argues not hiring smokers sends a strong message to employees and the community that smoking is harmful, while the other group calls the practice unethical.
