According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more Americans abuse prescription painkillers, sedatives and stimulants than all illicit “street” drugs combined except marijuana. And the number of people first abusing a prescription drug exceeds that for those first abusing marijuana. This phenomenon is significant, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimates that about 100 people die everyday from unintentional drug overdoses, making this the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. The average age when prescription drug abuse starts is around 21, therefore it is critical that our colleges and universities do more to help prevent this potentially deadly behavior.

This website provides resources for collegiate prescription drug abuse prevention, some of which emanated from the Collegiate Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Conference held at Ohio State in August 2012. It is maintained by the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy in partnership with the groups listed below. Resources developed by these partners are provided here free-of-charge, as well as links to materials offered by others. We encourage colleges and universities to utilize these tools to help prevent the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs among their students, and we are available to support you in these efforts if needed.