Jade Parker-Warner

Prescription drug safety and refusal skills are important topics that our students need now more than ever. Studies show that students who receive reinforced information about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse early and often are significantly less likely to develop addictions than those who do not. As we approach National Drug Take Back Day, EVERFI’s Prescription Drug Safety Network is proud to provide teachers with resources to help discuss this sensitive topic in the classroom.

The DEA’s twice-annual National Drug Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. The last Take Back Day in April 2021 brought more than 800,000 pounds of unused or expired prescription medicine, bringing the total amount of prescription drugs collected by DEA since the fall of 2010 to 14,524,391 pounds.

How can you help promote safe prescription drug storage and disposal in your community? Help your students get creative about safe use and disposal!

Project Title: Take Back Because

1. Have your students complete the Understanding Prescriptions module of the Prescription Drug Safety course (a 6-lesson digital prevention education program that equips students with the knowledge and tools to make healthy, informed decisions around prescription drugs).
2. On paper, have your students design an image of what safe use, storage, and disposal looks like to them and their community. Potential themes:
   1. 1. • The methods and benefits of safe use, storage, and disposal.
         • The environmental effect of safe storage and disposal.
         • How one individual action can positively impact the greater community.
3. Display your student’s artwork throughout your classroom and/or school! Feeling extra proud of your students’ work? Tweet a photo of your students’ work and/or your display to @everfik12 to have them featured on our twitter page!

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to bring prevention education to your classroom through this real-world national initiative. One in three teens believes there is “nothing wrong” with using prescription medicine without a prescription once in a while, so let’s help our students get informed, get creative, and get preventing!