III 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 614 

Designating the month of August 2008 as ‘‘National Medicine Abuse 

Awareness Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 16, 2008 

Mr. BIDEN (for himself and Mr. GRASSLEY) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

SEPTEMBER 22 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating the month of August 2008 as ‘‘National 

Medicine Abuse Awareness Month’’. 

Whereas over-the-counter and prescription medicines are extremely safe, effective, and potentially lifesaving when 

used properly; 

Whereas the abuse and recreational use of over-the-counter 

and prescription medicines can be extremely dangerous 

and produce serious side effects; 

Whereas in a recently sampled month, 7,000,000 individuals 

aged 12 or older reported using prescription psychotherapeutic medicines for nonmedical purposes; 


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Whereas abuse of prescription medicines, including pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives is second 

only to marijuana, the number 1 illegal drug of abuse in 

the United States; 

Whereas recent studies indicate that 2,400,000 children, or 

1 in 10 children aged 12 through 17, have intentionally 

abused cough medicine to get high from the ingredient 

dextromethorphan; 

Whereas 4,500,000, or 1 in 5, young adults have used prescription medicines for nonmedical purposes; 

Whereas according to research from the Partnership for a 

Drug-Free America, more than 1⁄3 of teens mistakenly 

believe that taking prescription drugs, even if not prescribed by a doctor, is much safer than using more traditional street drugs; 

Whereas the lack of understanding by teens and parents of 

the potential harms of these powerful prescription drugs 

makes raising public awareness about the dangers of the 

misuse of such drugs more critical than ever; 

Whereas misused prescription drugs are most often obtained 

through friends and relatives; 

Whereas misused prescription drugs are also obtained 

through rogue Internet pharmacies; 

Whereas parents should be aware that the Internet gives 

teens access to websites that promote medicine abuse; 

Whereas National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month promotes the messages that over-the-counter and prescription medicines should be taken only as labeled or prescribed, and that taking over-the-counter and prescription 

medicines for recreational uses or in large doses can have 

serious and life-threatening consequences; 


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Whereas National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month will encourage parents to become educated about prescription 

drug abuse and talk to teens about all types of substance 

abuse; 

Whereas observance of National Medicine Abuse Awareness 

Month should be encouraged at the national, State, and 

local levels to increase awareness of the misuse of medicines; 

Whereas some groups, including the Consumer Healthcare 

Products Association and the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America, have taken important steps by creating 

educational toolkits, including ‘‘A Dose of Prevention: 

Stopping Cough Medicine Abuse Before it Starts’’, which 

provides guides to educate parents, teachers, law enforcement officials, doctors and healthcare professionals, and 

retailers about the potential dangers of abusing over-thecounter cough and cold medicines; 

Whereas the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and community alliance and affiliate partners have undertaken a 

nationwide prevention campaign utilizing research-based 

educational advertisements, public relations and news 

media, and the Internet to inform parents about the negative teen behavior of intentional abuse of medicines so 

that parents are empowered to effectively communicate 

the facts about this dangerous trend with teens and to 

take necessary steps to safeguard prescription and overthe-counter medicines at home; and 

Whereas educating the public about the dangers of medicine 

abuse and promoting prevention is a critical component 

of what must be a multi-pronged effort to curb the disturbing rise in medicine misuse: Now, therefore, be it 


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1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates the month of August 2008 as 

3 ‘‘National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month’’; and 

4 (2) urges communities to carry out appropriate 

5 programs and activities to educate parents and 

6 youth about the potential dangers associated with 

7 medicine abuse. 

Æ 


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