Content warning: This post contains mentions of physical abuse, drug use, and overdose.

Written by a CSUCI student.

It’s crazy to think that drugs do not impact anyone's lives, because for me it’s always been a thing. I’m not saying that I’ve lived a grueling life, in shelters or anything like that, but I have always been aware of terrible things out there and...

Written by a CSUCI student.

Prior to having taken a class that specifically talked about the opioid crisis in the United States, I truly had no knowledge of any of this. It is very interesting to actually learn about different experiences and also from real-life experiences. Personally, I feel that it is very easy to read an article discussing this serious issue and not really make any...

Just in time for Spring cleaning, the DEA's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is coming up on Saturday, April 22nd. To help reduce Rx drug misuse, abuse, and overdoses, Rx Take Back Day encourages the public to remove expired, unneeded, or unwanted medications from our homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.

In...

This post was written by a CSUCI student.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (2020), 1.6 million people had an opioid use disorder and 745,000 people consumed heroin in 2019. This number shows that the opioid crisis is an ongoing issue that started a while ago. There is a demographic characteristic of the opioid epidemic....

The following information is from the Ventura County Responds website which was created to respond to the opioid crisis. In Ventura County, more than 200 people die each year from opioid overdoses. Prescription painkiller abuse, fentanyl and fake pills, and rising opioid overdoses are part of a nationwide crisis. Visit the website here to learn the signs of overdose and...

What can you do to help reduce drug overdoses in your community?

The DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is coming up on Saturday, October 29th, 2022. Rx Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused...

Use of Ventura County’s Prescription Drug Disposal Program

Ventura County is actively engaged and committed to preventing Rx/OTC drug misuse and abuse. One of the ways the County works to address the issue locally is by reducing access, especially to teens. VCBH Alcohol and Drug Programs, in collaboration with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, established a countywide Rx disposal...

The first National Fentanyl Awareness Day was May 10, 2022, and was recognized by organizations across the U.S. including the DEA. It was created to address our national public health crisis of deaths and overdoses due to fentanyl use. People, especially young people, are ingesting illegally manufactured fentanyl without knowing it and dying at alarming rates as a result.

The statistics...

Two decades ago, a new generation of supposedly “safer and less addictive” painkillers triggered an epidemic of opioid abuse in the U.S. Since then, opioid overdoses have killed over 400,000 Americans. Now, more than half of opioid deaths are caused by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Beyond the death toll, at least 2 million Americans have become addicted.

U.S. deaths from...

1 in 5 Ventura County teens have abused prescription drugs. 

Over 50% get them from friends and family. 

9% of 9th graders and 14% of 11th graders in Ventura County say they’ve used prescription medications to get high.

The countywide report of the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) indicates a hopeful decline in lifetime misuse of prescription drugs. However, prevention of...

This article was written with information taken from the International Overdose Awareness Day website and Ventura County Responds.

In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31st, here’s some information and resources about the signs and statistics of overdose.

Drug overdose is the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States, causing more deaths than...