Girl Scouts Take on Prescription Drug Abuse

In Eastern Tennessee even the Girl Scouts are doing their part to combat prescription drug abuse. A group of pharmacy students have formed a group called "Generation Rx" which recently coached 80 girl scouts through lessons and discussions regarding prescription pill abuse, quizzing them on questions such as: "Is it smart to take medicine from a friend?" and "What might go wrong if you take medicine that is not prescribed to you?" Afterwards, the scouts earned their "Generation Rx Awareness" badges. Second-year pharmacy student Jake Peters, who chairs Generation Rx, says the group “focuses on prescription drug abuse and educating the community about what it is and how we can help ourselves and help those around us to avoid the situation or get help for those that have fallen into that trap.” The group, which was founded by a former girl scout, visits middle and high schools, as well as colleges, because drug abuse impacts people of every age. “We just knew that with the Girl Scouts being such a long-standing organization and having such a huge base of people, that we could reach a lot of people and really affect a lot of lives," says Peters.