STATE AIMS TO RAISE AWARNESS ON WHAT'S IN THE MEDICINE CABINET

About the only physical difference between overdosing on painkillers and overdosing on heroin is the track marks.

Either way, you're just as dead.

In one aspect, however, the prescription painkillers are more deadly because many users, armed with a valid prescription and legitimate pain, don't realize how dangerous those little pills can be. Everyone knows that smoking a joint or sticking a needle in one's arm is bad. But taking a pill? It's legal. It's fine.

It's exactly what state and local health officials want to educate the public on: how to store medications, how to use them and how to get rid of them properly when they are no longer needed.

"It's really about the community coming together and taking ownership for what's kind of consuming us," Elizabeth Sollis, spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Human Services, said.

The campaign, Use Only As Directed, kicked off Tuesday at the Capitol. It piggybacked off another campaign the Utah Department of Health started in 2008. When the money for that program ran out, the Utah Pharmaceutical Drug Crime Project adopted the slogan and took over the task of making consumers more aware of the dangers of improperly using, storing or throwing away addictive prescription drugs.

Since 2000, the number of deaths in Utah due to prescription drug overdoses has increased by more than 400 percent, according to the state health department; last year prescription drug overdoses caused more deaths than auto accidents statewide. In 2009, prescription drugs passed cocaine as the 4th highest drug of choice in the state. More than 60 percent of overdose deaths from 1999-2004 were from legal drugs.

The difficulty, Sollis said, is people don't put Lortab and OxyContin in the same category as cocaine, meth and heroin simply because those drugs are illegal. Without the awareness that prescription narcotics, sedatives and anti-anxiety medication can be just as bad if they are taken too frequently, for too long, in too large of doses or by people for whom they were not prescribed, consumers aren't going to change their behavior.

"I think people don't realize that even though the drugs are legal, if you share a prescribed medication, that's illegal," she said. "There are just a lot of reasons why we need to increase awareness of prescription drugs."

She also said that as focused on readiness as many Utahns are, they are reticent to get rid of unused drugs, opting instead to save it for next time they or a family member are in need. This is not one of the times to be frugal, she said. When the need is no longer there, get rid of the drugs.

Several cities throughout the county have drop boxes where people can put their unused prescription drugs. In Provo's, which is housed at the police department, people dropped off an average of 14 pounds of medication a month from April through December, according to city spokeswoman Helen Anderson.

While this campaign's focus is on consumers, advocates are focusing on doctors and pharmacists as well. Utah Valley Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Janet Frank said the Substance Misuse and Abuse Reduction Team, which is part of the Utah County Health Department, will offer training on the state's controlled substance database. This allows doctors to get online and determine if patients are getting prescriptions from other health care providers and potentially weed out drug abusers.

"We want to be supporting that same message," she said.

Administrators also encourage doctors to make sure patients know how to responsibly use their drugs, Frank said.

Using that database is not required, although it is encouraged. Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, ran a number of bills in the last legislative session designed to make the database more responsive.

Prescription disposal

Eagle Mountain Substation, 1680 E. Heritage Drive

Lehi Police Department, 580 W. State St.

Mapleton Police Department, 125 W. Community Center Way

Orem Department of Public Safety, 95 E. Center St.

Provo Police Department, 48 S. 300 West

Salem City Office, 30 W. 100 South

Santaquin/Genola Public Safety building, 275 W. Main, Santaquin

Spanish Fork Police Department, 789 W. Center St.

Utah County Sheriff's Office, 5 N. Main St., Spanish Fork

Springville Police Department, 110 S. Main

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