Anti-drug foundation aims to educate parents about the rising trends of teenage drug use

By Staff Writer

A regional high school in New Jersey will host a workshop for parents this week in order to provide up-to-date facts and suggestions on preventing drug use by their teenagers.

According to NJ.com, the seminar will be presented by the Save a Friend Foundation, which was founded by a mother, Charlotte Andrews, whose son died of a drug overdose. The event will focus on the rise in popularity of prescription drugs, such as the painkiller OxyContin.

"[Teenagers] seem to think that, because it may be prescribed by a doctor or purchased over the counter, it's not harmful," Andrews told the news source. "But that's not the case."

Other speakers at the workshop will discuss what parents can do if they suspect their child is using drugs and how to monitor children through technology, such as cell phones.

The high school has Save a Friend Day every month, where many students wear T-shirts with the group's logo. The purpose of the day is to spread the word that many teenagers are choosing a drug-free lifestyle.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, there are as many new abusers - aged 12 and older - of pain relievers as there are for marijuana.