In Henrico, parents are warned about pill parties
Rather than bringing snacks and sodas to some parties, teens are bringing whatever prescription pills they can glean from around the house.
They'll mix them in a bowl and then grab a handful of this "trail mix" without knowing what they're ingesting.
Pharming parties, as they are known, are gaining popularity, said Denise Miller of the Henrico Too Smart 2 Start Coalition.
The trend was brought home earlier this week, when news reports focused on students at two Henrico middle schools sharing the prescription drug Adderall with friends.
Henrico's Too Smart Coalition held a Town Hall meeting last night at Hermitage High School to draw attention to what appears to be a growing national problem. The group's mission is to heighten youth and parental awareness of substance-abuse prevention and to reduce at-risk behaviors among Henrico County residents.
Guest speaker Aleta Meyer of the Prevention Research Branch of the National Institute on Drug Abuse told the group:
- Drug-induced deaths in the United States outnumber homicides or suicides.
- Chances of injury or risky sexual behavior increase greatly with drug use.
- More than 30 percent of pain prescriptions written after molar extraction -- typical for teens having wisdom teeth removed -- are refilled, necessary or not.
"People may think drugs are fun and easy, but they impact the ability to act on free will," she said.
Prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse is prevalent among young people, said Jamesha Carter, a student at Varina High School who works as a student ambassador for the coalition. "People think it's a joke," she said. "Or maybe they see everybody else doing it so they think they should do it."
Another student, Brendell Carter, who attends Virginia Randolph High School, said popping pills was something students could usually do without getting caught.
"You can't smoke weed at school, so they do that instead," she said. "I saw somebody do it before. They took like 17 Extra Strength Tylenol trying to feel good."
Most of the parents in the audience of about 70 seemed aware of the problem. They were looking for solutions.
Meyer said certain measures can ensure children's safety. Some, such as eating dinner four times a week as a family, are simple and have been proven to reduce risky teen behavior.
She also offered other suggestions to parents, including talking and listening to children, being awake when they come in at night and disposing of or locking up medications.
Contact Lisa Crutchfield at (804) 649-6362 or
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Reader Reactions
Dinner 4 times a week? What about the other 3 nights? PLUS breakfast 7 mornings a week. Is it any wonder why kids find peer-pressured ingestion of mystery drugs so appealing? These poor children have so little to lose (i.e. absent/empty family relationships) as compared to so much to gain (i.e. belonging to a peer group). Nothing new. Just the absolute sheer HIGH number of parents who are “abandoning” their children during their teen years is UNBELIEVABLE!
Maybe ony 70 showed up because the other parents were at home parenting their kids? Why does their absence mean they don’t care and aren’t dealing with the issue? I mean, this pharm party concept has been around for years. I know about it and we have had discussions with both our girls about drugs and why they are dangerous.. even perscription meds are dangerous when taken in a way they were not intended. That being said.. when I was growing up, we didn’t have perscription pills laying around.. (ok.. maybe some left over antibiotic that were not finished..yeah I know you are supposed to take them for the fully perscribed period lol). Between those and the expired baby aspirins and cough drops.. I am sure I would have been the biggest geek in attendance at one of these parties. “I can hear it now.. so what did you bring?“ “Um.. expired exlax.. it’ll be an experience you won’t forget.“ Not to make light of a serious issue, but I can’t believe that the parents aren’t locking up or discarding these medications. Anyway, our kids are warned and we are aware of the issue.. so not sure why we would attend a meeting like this. Personal responsibility for the raising of your own child isn’t a crime.
I hear you redskyatnight.
I used to feel weird because when my kids were still in car seats I’d just be driving down the street talking to them and asking them about what they were seeing or to tell me what a sign said. People probably thought I was talking to myself. But I tell you my feeling weird and what other people may have thought was well worth it.
I have 17 and 20 year old boys and we haven’t had to deal with a lot of the stuff other parents have had to deal with thank goodness. But I do think it’s because while we talked we also listened and gave them our undivided attention and I don’t mean an uh huh as we sat and watched television, did our hobbies or talked on the phone with a friend.
I am so glad I took the time to listen to them. I have learned a lot from them.
You are all correct the solution begins at HOME. But why were there only 70 parents at the meeting? Seems to me a high percentage are in denial that it can happen to them. People keep their valuables locked up but not their prescription drugs or even over the counter medicine. Drugs are prevelent in schools and many turn a blind eye because “kids will be kids”. Its a problem EVERYWHERE and will pop up where you least expect it so vigilence should be high priority. This is not about East end or West end its about the safety of all kids and needs to start in elementary school. Those children that were selling and buying the Adderall are in middle school and that auditorium at Hermitage should have been standing room only. Drugs and sex are taboo subjects in society but yet they go hand in hand. If we stop thinking “no not my child” and start thinking “maybe my child” these PHARMING PARTIES might not go on, where’s the parental supervision for those kids and where exactly do they throw these parties?
I’m not a perfect parent and if you ask my kids they might say I’m a prison warden but in my house there are no lcoked doors,privacy is a priviledge not a right and I as the sole provider who pays all the bills will and do go through everything in their rooms, book bags, purses , computers and everything else that is paid for with MY MONEY. This may not full proof who knows but at least it puts the fear of something in them. They get privacy when they pay their own way, rent, utilities ,etc. I count the pills in my prescription bottles and if they get prescribed anything I give them their dosage and count the pills and lock them up. Again not full proof and no child is an angel but I would want other parents to have the same vigilence because if their child goes out and gives another child a drug and that child dies the burden of that child’s death will be on everyone’s conscience forever. So what’s worse saying NO to your children or carrying the guilt of your child or someone else’s child death for the rest of your lives.
Talking and listening to kids isn’t just something you should do with teenagers. Younger children need to be listened to also. Start when they are young, hearing their ideas, and it won’t be so awkward when they are older.
@XXXX I’m with you ... Focusing time and attention on our children is an excellent way to begin working on the solution to this problem or to begin prevention. I am also in agreement with the fact the issue is not exclusive to Henrico County only but you can rest assured by the end of this day it will be all about East End and West End, throwing stones back and forth at one another. Glad we both were early birds to hopefully get a positive message started.
Before the bashing of Henrico begins, it’s not just Henrico where this is happening it’s happening in Chesterfield too and from what I have read, just about everywhere else.
I agree wholeheartedly with this:
“......talking and listening to children, ......“
The more time you spend with your child talking and listening the more you learn from each other. Don’t just tell them what you think, ask them what they think and carry the conversation from there. You’d be surprised of what they missed on a certain subject or even what you missed. You get to know each other as individuals and not just as child and parent.
The added bonus is that the more time you spend talking and listening the less time they have to be out and about and getting into who knows what.
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