Prescription Drug Abuse Forum Planned

A forum on prescription drug abuse and related topics is slated for the University of Wyoming in the Wyoming Union Ballroom on September 21. John Powell, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, which is organizing the event, says prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing form of drug abuse both across the country and in Wyoming. Powell says one reason for that is that prescription drugs are often easier to obtain than illegal street drugs. Powell says prescription medications are often obtained through over-prescription, in which a person will see several doctors  with the same complaint and obtain multiple prescriptions for the same or similar drugs. He says they are also often stolen from the medicine cabinets of people who have been given the prescriptions for legitimate medical issues. Powell says people can register for the forum online at whenprescriptionskill.wyo.gov. or barbarawarburton@usdoj.gov.