NCJ Number
198214
Date Published
2000
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This manual was written to increase awareness of prescription drug abuse in the community and to provide information on how to engage the community in a campaign for raising community awareness of this issue.
Abstract
This manual begins with an overview and introduction to the issue of prescription drug abuse as a serious prevention issue in the United States today, providing some statistics supporting this position. The chapter on campaign overview describes its two primary goals: to increase public awareness and equip communities with strategies to deal with the problem. A section on how to determine if your community has a prescription drug abuse problem discusses two types of data that can be collected, archival and survey. Stages of awareness are described as community tolerance/no knowledge, denial, and vague awareness with recommended strategies for addressing each. The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) prescription drug abuse prevention campaign, or the development of a community anti-drug coalition, is described with information on the content of the "message" and a list of who needs to be involved and why, for example, the media, the medical community, local businesses, educational systems, concerned citizens, and youth. The media primer section includes a sample letter to the editor, a sample radio public service announcement, a sample Op-eds (opinion/editorials), a sample press release, and information on how to write an effective radio script and/or press release. Some talking points for community leaders are suggested. A list of online resources is also provided.