America is facing a serious drug problem and it has nothing to do with the Mexican cartels. Every day, 46 people in the US fatally overdose on prescription painkillers. 2013 saw 16,000 opioid related deaths- over 8,000 more than in 2010. And these figures say nothing of the fate of people who turn to heroin once their prescription runs out. Most worrying of all is the rapid increase in the number of teenagers abusing prescription medication.

New drug awareness programs are cropping up in schools across the country. In Pennsylvania, the program is called Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education- NOPE. The assembly presentation hits home when a recording of a real life 911 emergency call is played. It was made by a mother as she discovers her 17-year-old son dead from a prescription drug overdose. The boy’s urn sits on stage surrounded by pictures of other teenagers that died of overdoses.

The new programs are far more specific than Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No”. They are designed to target young, suburban teens and educate them about the dangers of painkillers. The NOPE program educates students on the symptoms of drug overdoses and necessity of seeking immediate medical attention.

The program is part of general awakening to the epidemic of opioid abuse. In President Obama’s budget for the fiscal year of 2016, he proposes over $100 million for efforts to decrease the number of opioid and heroin related deaths. These funds will be used to improve state-level prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), increase assistance for addicts, and expand the availability of Naloxone, an opioid antagonist used as a last resort to counter the effects of an overdose.

Efforts would also be made to reduce the tendency of doctors to prescribe hydrocodone and oxycodone as a first resort. In 2012, Americans filled over 250 million prescriptions for painkillers- enough for every adult in the country to have a bottle. This has lead to a thriving black market of prescription drugs. The street value of oxycodone is $20 to $30 a pill, depending on the strength. A recent study shows that the average heroin user is no longer an urban male minority but a suburban white women.

Something needs to be done to reverse this trend. At least in Pennsylvania, they are headed in the right direction.