courierpostonline.com: NJ parents misunderstand opioid abuse, survey finds

6/17/2016

, @CP_KimMulford6:29 p.m. EDT June 16, 2016

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Nearly one in three parents of New Jersey middle school students do not believe there is a link between painkillers and the rising rates of heroin use in the state.

That's according to a new study released by Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. The telephone survey questioned a sample of 500 parents with children ages 12 to 15 in New Jersey.

MORE: "Is opiate addiction preventable?"

But there is a well-established link between prescription drugs and heroin. Opioid pain relievers that are used improperly are most often obtained through a doctor's prescription, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And users of prescription drugs are 40 times more likely to use heroin.

The rate of overdose deaths involving opioids has increased 200 percent since 2000.

Only 15 percent of parents surveyed considered a friend's medicine cabinet as a source for abused drugs. But, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, about 70 percent of those who abuse prescriptions get them from family or friends, often from the medicine cabinet.

Parents should secure their medicine cabinets, taken inventory of medicine in the home, safely dispose of unneeded medicine and talk to their children, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey has urged. The survey found the number of parents who dispose of unwanted medication rose to 25 percent, compared to 16 percent in 2014.

Kim Mulford: (856) 486-2448; kmulford@gannettnj.com