In today’s generation, the abuse of prescription medications, especially of narcotics and sedatives, is more prevalent than it has ever been. Additionally, the massive misuse of prescription medications by the general public has manifested into a larger problem — and so the question is: how can we control this rising issue?

Here, at The Ohio State University, Generation Rx is a program that is working hard toward educating the public on safe and effective medication use and in-turn, trying to prevent the misuse of prescription medications.

“What we want to do in Generation Rx is prevent misuse from where it really first starts,” explains Kenneth Hale, R.Ph., Ph.D., Co-Director of The Generation Rx Initiative. “There are some fundamental misperceptions that people often have. They often feel that misusing prescription drugs is safer than using drugs like heroine or any kind of street drugs. They often think that it’s legal to do so, but what they don't understand is that it’s actually illegal. And the third thing is that they often don't understand the addictive nature of these drugs.”

Founded by Dr. Kenneth Hale, the Generation Rx Initiative was established in 2007 to help educate people of all ages about safe medication use, and hopefully build a healthier future for following generations. And this remarkable initiative is not just in Columbus. "Since 2010, the estimated public relations reach from these colleges of pharmacy across the country, has been over 37 million people." The idea of Generation Rx started out locally, but since its establishment, it has turned into something that has been used in every state, reaching millions of people, and it is all thanks to those involved in driving Generation Rx forward.

In 2014, as an undergraduate pharmacy student, I decided that I wanted to be a part of the massive collaborative team that helped educate people on living healthier lives, by joining Generation Rx. In doing so, I took on the role as a student volunteer at the Generation Rx Lab within the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) museum here in Columbus, where I helped educate young children and adults about safe medication usage through fun, hands-on experiments.

From my experience, I learned that patient education should begin when they're in the physician's office as the prescription is being written to when they pick up their prescription at the pharmacy. During that short amount of time, the quality and quantity of knowledge the patient receives is critical. Even then, the misuse of prescription drugs is a widespread issue, but educating people in all communities on safe, effective uses of their prescriptions is one step toward a healthier, safer future.

"There’s a lot more to be done. The problem just keeps escalating and it’s not getting better. There’s a lot of action around the problem — we just got to keep at it. But I do think that we have made a difference. And when I say we, I mean across the country," says Dr. Kenneth Hale.

As students, we can help one another and people in our community by joining Generation Rx today.

Please visit Generationrx.org and help spread the word.

*Generation Rx is funded by the Cardinal Health Foundation (since 2009) and The Ohio State University Office of Research

*Generation Rx would not be possible without:

Kenneth M. Hale, R.Ph., Ph.D. (Co-Director, The Generation Rx Initiative)

Nicole C. Kwiek, Ph.D. (Co-Director, The Generation Rx Initiative)

Katie Summers, Ph.D. (Assistant Director, Generation Rx Lab at COSI)

Molly, Downing, Ph.D. (Assistant Director, Generation Rx Lab at COSI)

Ruth Emptage, PharmD, CGP (Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Science)

-- And to the hundreds of students who have volunteered through various channels of Generation Rx