This article caught me off guard as I read it in a Fox News.Com report stating political leaders in Kentucky had called a local retailer, the Urban Outfitters, to advise them to halt the sale of flasks, shot glasses and pint glasses because they look like real prescription pill bottles.
The Kentucky Republican chairing the House Appropriations Committee, U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, complained that these products underestimated the sufferings of people who had struggled with addictions.
In my opinion addictions cause adults and teens a lot of pain and grief; and the selling of these type products imitating prescription pill bottles often cause teenagers to buy them to impress their peers and to use them as real prescription pill bottles. This may cause an explosion for the use of fake prescription pill bottles among teenagers.
U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers says, "I fear the sale of this type merchandise could have an unfortunate consequence of leading more teens to seek out prescription meds, or even worse, an increase in prescription drug-related overdoses."
Rogers also said in a memorandum to the company, "I would enourage you to remove these items from the shelves immediately so as not to contribute to the epidemic."
Fox News.Com reported there were no responses to phone calls and emails sent for comments to Urban Outfitters who caters to teens and younger adults.
They reported political leaders in Kentucky began signing on this week too because prescription-drugs are the cause for people in Kentucky dying from drug overdoses; and it has become more prevalent than those people killed in car wrecks.
Rogers represents a large rural area in Kentucky where prescription painkiller abuse is at an epidemic level. Jack Conway, Kentucky Attorney General has also joined this cause as of Wednesday.
The report also stated that it shouldn’t be hard for people to understand products like these make light of an epidemic that kills more than 1,000 Kentuckians every year; and it is also responsible for more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined according to Conway, co-chairman of the Substance Abuse Committee of the National Association of Attorneys General; and he stated, "This is combined with alcohol, the misuse and abuse of prescription medications can be deadly, this makes the Urban Outfitter RX pint and shot glasses and flasks even more troubling."
Conway also made a statement the use of prescription drugs is the leading cause of accidental deaths in United States; and he indicated too any teens are experimenting with them because they believe they’re safer than street drugs.
Conway also stated that the Urban Outfitters` products could reinforce this belief. Stating, "This type of cavalier attitude puts more teens at risk."
This absolutely shocked me because I would have never thought accidental drug deaths would over-shadow other types of
accidents. This certainly proves to people in our country that presciption drug use is a lot more prevalent than we would have ever believed.
Parents need to be made aware of this situation and to actively be involved in their children’s lives. People should be guarded when their children appear to be spaced-out or they’re not connecting with their conversations and activities. A parent needs to be present whenever their teen comes home from an outing or a party to ensure they’re physically okay.
Barbara Kasey Smith is the writer of this article and it was taken from a report by Fox News.Com
Source:
Fox News.Com