By Crystal Swann
June 28, 2010

During the 78th Annual Meeting, The U.S. Conference of Mayors partnered once again with Purdue Pharma, L.P to raise awareness of the dangers of prescription drug abuse. The initiative — Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign — is a national awareness initiative to help curb the illegal trafficking and abuse of prescription medications.

While attending the annual meeting, 80 mayors to recorded 30- and 60'second public service announcements (PSAs) on the dangers of prescription drug abuse for airing on radio stations within their communities. The Conference of Mayors will work with participating mayoral press offices to distribute the PSAs to local radio stations and encourage the stations to air the spots in conjunction with September's Recovery Month.

The Conference of Mayors has produced an online toolkit and other materials to help mayors implement Campaign-related activities within their communities during the "Prescription Drug Awareness Month" and "National Recovery Month."

Every day, more than 2,500 teenagers abuse prescription medication for the first time. Sadly, teens often experiment with medications they find right at home. These medications have a legitimate medical use when used properly under the doctor's supervision, but misuse of these medications can lead to addiction, overdose and even death.

To learn more about the campaign, contact Crystal Swann at cswann@usmayors.org or visit the website: www.usmayors.org/drugawareness.org.