To: Board of Supervisors
From: Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor
Report Title: Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ACCEPT Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month Proclamation.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
BACKGROUND:
The Contra Costa County Medication Education and Disposal Safety (MEDS) Coalition engages all community members in the county to participate in Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month activities to raise prescription drug safety awareness.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
None.
2024 PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH
Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors
WHEREAS: When used as prescribed by a doctor, prescription medicines such as stimulants, sedatives and opioids can be helpful in treating many illnesses, but when these medications are misused, they can have serious consequences; and
WHEREAS: Many prescription drugs can alter a person’s thinking and judgment, and can lead to health risks, including addiction, drugged driving, infectious disease, and adverse effects on pregnancy; and
WHEREAS: Anyone who takes prescription opioids can become addicted to them. In fact, as many as one in four patients receiving long-term opioid therapy in a primary care setting struggles with opioid use disorder (OUD); and
WHEREAS: Prescription opioid overdose deaths also often involve benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are central nervous system depressants used to sedate, induce sleep, prevent seizures, and relieve anxiety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends avoiding taking benzodiazepines while taking prescription opioids whenever
possible due to the risk of overdose; and
WHEREAS: In 2022 in Contra Costa County there were 463,914 opioid prescriptions given to patients which is an age-adjusted rate of 349.6 per 1,000 residents, higher than the state rate of 321.7; and
WHEREAS: In 2022, a total of 21,016 emergency department visits occurred in California that were related to any opioid overdose and 348 of those visits occurred in Contra Costa County; and
WHEREAS: According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 106,699 drug overdose deaths occurred nationally in 2022, 80,411 were from opioids and 169 of those opioid related overdose deaths occurred in Contra Costa County; and
WHEREAS: Synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily fentanyl) and stimulants such as
methamphetamine were the main drivers of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2022; and
WHEREAS: To help prevent substance use disorder and overdose deaths, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors encourages community members to dispose of their expired and unwanted prescription drugs throughout the year and safely store those still needed; and
WHEREAS: The Contra Costa County Medication Education and Disposal Safety (MEDS) Coalition engages all community members in the county to participate in Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month activities to raise prescription drug safety awareness; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors does hereby declare March 2024 as Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month, and encourages all citizens to participate in prescription drug abuse related prevention programs and activities; Be it also resolved that the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors encourages all community members pledge to, “Spread the Word… One Pill Can Kill”.