Frequently Asked Questions

Often it's hard to know who to talk to when you have serious questions about drugs and alcohol. We created this page to provide the community with detailed responses to their questions from LOCAL experts and professionals. If you have a question, ask it here, and it will be responded to by members of your local substance abuse coalitions, (Prevention Specialists, Therapists, Doctors, Police Officers, Religious Leaders, etc.). If it is a common question, we will post the response below. Scroll down to view some of our Frequently Asked Questions before submitting yours, as it may have already been answered.

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“How do I protect my kids from prescription drug abuse?”

Quick Answer:

Talk to them, know them, don’t give them access to medications, and change their mindset about these drugs.

Talk To Them:

“Parents really can be the greatest ‘anti-drug’,” (Brent McFadden, PharmD, RPh; Washington County Prevention Coalition member.)

Kids whose parents talk to them about drugs and alcohol are up to 50% less likely to abuse drugs. That means that simply speaking regularly to your kids about drugs and alcohol is the most important thing you can do to protect them, (see How to Talk to Your Kids about Drugs and Alcohol on our parents page). “Parents need to make time to talk to their kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, especially prescription drugs!” (Teresa Willie – Prevention Coordinator for Washington County, WCPC). The more regularly these conversations take place, the better. They don’t need to be a scheduled meeting – when you are riding in your car and you hear an advertisement for a new drug, or when you are watching TV, or when you stop at the pharmacy to pick up some medication – these are excellent moments to discuss the dangers of these drugs with your children. Make sure they understand that these drugs can be very addictive, and they are very dangerous if not taken exactly as the doctor prescribed. You should help them understand that they should never take a drug that was not prescribed to them, and that they should only take it for the injury or illness that it was prescribed for. “It also becomes important for parents to set the example, and not take drugs unnecessarily or abuse them. Parents should only take medications prescribed specifically to them, and only for what they were prescribed for,” (Kelby Tyler, Student – Dixie State College; member of the Washington County Prevention Coalition).

With the prominence of these drugs, it is likely that your child will see them (if they haven’t already). Therefore, you may want to rehearse with them how they can decline these drugs if offered them at school or from friends or relatives. Teach them that it is ok to tell their friends that they don’t take any drugs unless a doctor gives them to them. Youth whose parents regularly set clear rules about substance abuse are much less likely to abuse substances, (Adapted by CESAR from PRIDE, Questionnaire Report for Grades 6 to 12, 2008-09 National Summary – Grades 6 thru 12, 2009.)

Keep in mind, as Officer Spragg (Washington County Drug Task Force) states, “One of the most important parts of talking to your kids, is listening to your kids. Speak to them openly about drugs and alcohol, and don’t be overbearing with questions or judgment, which may cause them to lie or shut down.” They need to feel comfortable if you want them to open up.

Know Them:

“Parents have to be close enough to their kids that when they talk about such serious things (as drugs) the kids will hear them,” (Brent McFadden, PharmD, RPh; WCPC). It is important to spend time with them… know them.

It can be difficult to identify a person who is high on prescription drugs. If your kids come home drunk, or after having smoked, you will smell it on their clothes, their hair, their skin, and obviously their breath. If they are drunk you may notice slurred speech, slow motor function, and an obvious lack of inhibitions. Prescription drug abuse is much harder to identify. Kids can swallow a pill with a glass of water and continue on with their day, leaving behind no smell or other physical signs of intoxication. Depending on the drug taken their pupils may constrict, or they may dilate, and therefore it can be hard to determine if they are using these drugs or not. So it is very important to know your kids well. If they start changing friends or their behavior changes radically, this may be a sign of abuse. Typical patterns still exist, as with any drug (slurred speech, change in pupil size, fatigue, increased agitation, drowsiness, etc.), but it is important to know your kids and their behaviors well so that you can identify a change if it occurs. “Parents need to make themselves aware of why their child may be abusing. Typically any type of substance abuse—in the early stages—is a symptom of a deeper issue. A parents approach to that issue can make all the difference,” (Brent McFadden, PharmD, RPh; WCPC).

Don’t Give Them Access:

You would never leave a syringe filled with heroin in your pantry where your kids could get it, you shouldn’t leave prescription drugs accessible either. Keep in mind that in reality, there is really no difference between many of the narcotics prescribed for pain and heroin, or other illicit narcotics. In fact, when ingested, many of these chemicals break down into the same compound. Don’t leave them where anyone can get them. Your prescription drugs should be locked up! If your children have been prescribed a narcotic, they should not be allowed to self-administer those. You should hand them out yourself, and keep a close eye on them to make sure your child is not taking extra. Over 50% of kids who abuse prescription drugs in the Southwest counties of Utah get them from their own home, or from a friend or family member. “This tells us that we could greatly reduce the accessibility (and therefore, the rate of abuse,) if we would just lock up all prescription drugs and many over the counter drugs, and throw away our extras,” (Teresa Willie – Washington County Prevention Coordinator, WCPC). LOCK UP YOUR MEDICATIONS!

Change Their Mindset:

Our children are being raised in a society where drugs are a common part of everyday life. If we have a headache, we take a drug. If we are depressed, we take a drug. If we can’t sleep, we take a drug. If we are tired and don’t want to sleep, we take a drug. Why then, should we be surprised when our kids turn to a prescription drug to take away their stress, or their pain, or to feel better, and subsequently find themselves addicted? We constantly hear from kids that they don’t think there is anything wrong with these drugs because they are made and prescribed by doctors.

We need to help our kids see that these drugs are very dangerous, and should be treated with great care. Don’t share your prescription drugs with others, or you are reinforcing your child’s belief that if a pill is made by a doctor, it must be ok. For that same reason, you should never use a drug for any reason except that which it was prescribed for. Your children will see, and again, it reinforces that belief that these drugs are not dangerous. 35% of teenagers believe that prescription narcotics are not addictive. We must change this mindset. Our children must learn that these drugs are dangerous and should be treated with care.

Logan Reid – Research Coordinator/Prevention Specialist – Southwest Prevention
Officer Curtis Spragg – Washington County Drug Task Force; Member: Washington County Prevention Coalition
Brent McFadden — PharmD, RPh; Member: Washington County Prevention Coalition
Kelby Tyler – Student: Dixie State College; Member: Washington County Prevention Coalition
Teresa Willie – Washington County Prevention Coordinator – Southwest Prevention

What do kids say?

In the Spring of 2009, we surveyed high school and middle school kids in the five counties of Southern Utah, and asked them what they thought adults could do to decrease prescription drug abuse. Below are a few selections from the responses given.

Question: “What do you think adults could do to decrease prescription drug abuse in your community?”

“Set rules for the children. Tell them that they are dangerous.” — 15-year-old female

“If they don’t need the drugs, get rid of them” — 14-year-old male

“Hide them so people won’t steal them.” — 16-year-old female

“Lock it up in a cabinet where they would have to ask the mom or the father for it.” — 16-year-old female

“Be responsible; put the drugs where us kids can’t get them.” — 17-year-old male

“Keep them away from their kids. Hide them or lock them up. The kids I know get them from the parents or grandparents.” — 17-year-old female




“What is SPICE? As a parent should I be concerned about it? And is it being used and sold here in Southern Utah?”

“Be concerned. Be very concerned,” (Curtis Spragg, Washington County Drug Task Force Agent and Vice Chair of the Washington County Prevention Coalition).

Spice is a legal synthetic version of the chemical THC, the main psychoactive constituent of marijuana. As a parent or community member you SHOULD certainly be concerned about this substance because it is being sold and used here in Southern Utah. In fact, Task Force agents have already identified at least 6 locations in Southern Utah that are selling the substance, and youth social workers are reporting that some kids are making and selling it themselves.

Recently, Southwest Center Prevention Specialists interviewed one youth who had been selling the substance to friends. He reported that the drug was very popular, and that many of the kids he knew had switched from smoking marijuana to using Spice.

While many cities and counties in the nation and Utah are working to ban Spice, and state legislation is underway to make it illegal throughout the state, as of now (November 2010), it is still legal to sell and purchase the drug in many parts of Utah. For this reason, some youth have switched from marijuana because it’s more difficult for them to get in trouble for using Spice.

The drug is a synthetic chemical that is sprayed onto vegetable or plant matter and then smoked. Users report a high similar to marijuana, but in some ways more intense, and with more immediate side effects. ER visits as a result of the use of this drug have spiked quite severely in Southern Utah, and reports to social workers, juvenile courts and police have continually been on the increase. One St. George youth therapist said, “Kids are using this drug a lot. All the kids I work with know about it, so parents and community members need to know about it. They need to know that it is here in our communities, and they need to know that the side effects we DO know about are dangerous… things like severe stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea, and migraine-like headaches. And since this is a new drug, the scariest part is the side-effects we DON’T yet know about. Users should be concerned about the long term effects of using this drug.” (Angela Braaten, Licensed Social Worker and member of the Washington County Prevention Coalition).

Local users report that the drug is very addictive and that the side effects are quite severe. One youth admitted to vomiting blood on two separate occasions after having used the substance for about five months. They also report paranoia and extreme anxiety, as well as disturbed and scary nightmares, trouble breathing, and loss of memory.

For more information on this drug, please view our Spice Factsheet. If you have questions, please feel free to contact Southwest Prevention.

Help us share the word about this drug. Invite your friends to read this article, share our factsheet with them, and “like” Southwest Prevention on facebook to get regular updates and information about local trends.