Prescription Drugs Lesson goal - PowerPoint Presentation

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Prescription Drugs

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Lesson goal

To

introduce students to Virginia laws related to prescription drugs and the serious penalties for violating these laws.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

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Students will learn:

Virginia

laws concerning controlled substancesVirginia laws restricting prescription drugpossession and

usePrescription drug abuse is a serious health and safety threat to

young people.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

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What is a prescription drug?

A

prescription drug is any drug required by federal law or regulation to be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription, including finished dosage forms and active ingredients subject to § 503(b) of

the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. § 353(b)).

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

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Prescription drug abuse

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Prescription drug abuse is a growing problem for teens, both nationally and here in Virginia.

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Prescription drugs in the U.S.

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Approximately

four billion two million prescription drugs are purchased in the United States each year

– that is about 12.5 individual prescriptions

for every man, woman, and child currently living in the U.S.

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Prescription drugs in the U.S.

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These drugs are only safe if prescribed by a doctor and used as directed.

Otherwise they can be addictive and can cause health problems, including overdose, especially when used with other drugs or alcohol.

How widespread is prescription drug abuse?

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Prescription drugs in the U.S.

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About

7 million Americans aged 12 and older abuse prescription drugs in a year.

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Prescription drugs in the U.S.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Chart from the National Institute of Health (NIH)

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Virginia law & prescription drugs

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A

prescription drug is a controlled

substance, defined in

Code of Virginia § 54.1-3401 as a drug or substance listed in Schedules I through VI of the Virginia Drug Control Act. Depending

upon the drug’s acceptable medical use and the drug’s abuse or dependency potential,

the

Act places controlled substances into five categories called “schedules.

”

(

See Lesson Handout

)

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Penalties for drug crimes

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

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Penalties for drug crimes,

cont.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

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Virginia law & prescription drugs,

cont.

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Virginia law defines three major types of drug crimes:PossessionDistribution

Manufacturing

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Virginia law & prescription drugs,

cont.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Possession occurs when a person possesses any controlled substance without a valid prescription.

Distribution

or sale occurs when a person sells, provides, gives away, delivers, or distributes a controlled substance.Manufacturing occurs when a person produces a controlled substance without legal authorization, or possesses chemicals used in the manufacture of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture.

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Which describes prescription drug abuse?

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Taking a prescription drug that was not prescribed for you

Taking more of a prescription drug than you’re supposed to

Taking a prescription drug for a reason other than you’re supposed toAll of the above

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Why do people abuse drugs?

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Prescription

drug misuse occurs when someone takes a prescription drug that was prescribed for another person or in a manner or dosage other than what was prescribed. Some

of these reasons are to:Get high

Help with studiesControl painAll of these are illegal, and allare potentially harmful.

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Which drugs are abused?

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Major categories include:

Pain killers, including OxyContin

, Percocet, and Demerol. These can cause drowsiness, physical dependence, and can slow breathing so much that it can cause death.

Depressants, including Valium, Ambien, and Xanax. These can make you feel drowsy and confused; abuse

can cause shallow breathing and even death.

Stimulants

, including Ritalin

, Dexedrine, and Adderall.

These can

cause anxiety, panic, tremors,

irregular heartbeat

, high body temperature, and heart attack.

Stopping suddenly can cause users to become

tired,

depressed, even suicidal.

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Which drugs are abused?,

cont.

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Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs that you can buy at any pharmacy or grocery store are also abused. Most

commonly abused is Dextromethorphan (DXM

), the active ingredient in OTC coughand cold medicine. It can cause impaired motor and

mental functioning

, numbness

, nausea/vomiting

, loss

of coordination

, hallucination

, and

increased heart

rate and

blood pressure

.

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Withdrawal symptoms

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Type of drug

Withdrawal Symptoms

OTC Drugs

– DMX

Unknown

Stimulants

Depression, tiredness, sleep problems.

People who suddenly stop taking stimulants can become tired, depressed and in some cases, suicidal.

Depressants

Must be discussed with a health care provider; barbiturate withdrawal can cause a serious abstinence syndrome that may include seizures.

Pain Killers

Restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps ("cold turkey"), leg movements.

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Are prescription and OTC drugs safe?

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40

percent of teens consider the abuse of prescription drugs to be much safer thanstreet drugs.

29 percent believe

prescription pain relievers are not addictive.But in fact, they can be

just

as dangerous and addictive

as street drugs.

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Offenses at school

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Every Virginia school has signs marking

adrug-free school zone. Within that zone, penalties are greater.If a student brings drugs to school, the school

must notify

local law enforcement. The student will then be subject to criminal action, as well as school disciplinary action such as expulsion.

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Drug searches at school

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Can law enforcement can search for drugs at your school?

Yes. Officers may periodically make unannounced visits to any public school to detect the presence of illegal drugs, and they may use drug dogs.

If a law enforcement officer finds drugs in someone’s possession, the officer will confiscate them and charge the person with possession of a controlled substance in violation of Virginia law.

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Driving under the influence

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According

to Code of Virginia §18.2-266, you can be charged with a DUI/DUID while you are under

the influence

of any controlled substance. The statute says that it is illegal for any person to drive a

car while under

the influence of any narcotic drug or any other self-

administered intoxicant

or

drug

or

combination

of

drugs

,

that impair his

ability to drive or operate any motor

vehicle.

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Good Samaritan Law

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A drug overdose can cause death. But people may hesitate to call for vital medical help because they don’t want to get in trouble themselves.

Under the Good Samaritan Law, if a person:

reports an overdose to a firefighter, EMS personnel or law enforcement (usually by calling 911) identifies themselves as the one reporting the overdose and cooperates with law enforcement

They are eligible for “affirmative defense” and may be protected from being convicted for certain possession or intoxication crimes. (

Code of Virginia

§ 18.2-251.03)

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Help is available

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If you or anyone you know needs help with prescription drug abuse, talk to a trusted adult or check the Prescription Drugs section of

VirginiaRules.org for this info:

Local Community Services Boards: http://www.dbhds.virginia.gov/individuals-andfamilies/community-services-boards

Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator:

1-800-662-HELP or

www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov

Have a Drug Problem, Need Help?:

http://

teens.drugabuse.gov

/have-a-drug-problem-need-help

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You have learned:

Drug laws in Virginia define categories of drugs and types of offenses, and prescribe penalties for

the possession, distribution, and manufacture of drugs;Prescription drug and over-the-counter drug abuse is a growing problem and there are laws

that prohibit using these controlled substances in a way not as prescribed; andThere are additional laws about bringing drugs to school that have both criminal and

disciplinary consequences, including expulsion from school.

Review and recap

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Photos provided by:

Generation Rx programNational Institute of Health

Serge Bertasius Phtography from Free Digital Photos.net

Photo credits

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