When a recent study by the Partner for a Drug-free America showed that 1 in 10 teens reported abusing cough medicine, one town in Missouri decided to proactively train parents about the dangers. The Community Partnership of the Ozarks has set up training sessions to work with parents in Springfield, Missouri, at a local family center.

“More than 80 participants from at least nine counties, including representatives from schools, children’s services and law enforcement will attend the training to learn more about the emerging threat of prescription drug abuse, how to identify trends in medicine abuse among teens, and how they may conduct a town hall meeting in their community on medicine abuse.”

This town hall meeting is a great example of how you can bring the message about cough medicine abuse to your neighborhood. If you are interested in setting up a town hall meeting in your community, materials are available online at A Dose of Prevention, and, please, keep spreading the word!