The abuse of prescription drugs is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States and is the second-leading cause of injury and death among 25- to 64-year-olds.
Drop off your unwanted medications
The Colorado Medication Take Back Program provides for secure drop boxes in various locations.
How you can get involved
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The Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention was created in 2013 to establish a coordinated, statewide response to this major public health problem.
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Its mission to reduce the abuse and misuse of prescription drugsthrough improvements in education, public outreach, research, safe disposaland treatment.
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The goal of these efforts is to prevent 92,000 Coloradans from misusing opioids by 2016.
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To get involved, fill out the interest form.
Planning for the future
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According to data released in 2013 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Colorado ranks second-worst among all states for prescription drug misuse.
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More than 255,000 Coloradans misuse prescription drugs, and deaths involving the use of opioids nearly quadrupled between 2000 and 2011.
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To combat this growing problem, the National Governors Association hosted a year-long Policy Academy to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse and created the comprehensive Colorado Plan to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse.
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Data resources
Related programs
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA)