Pharm Parties: A Lethal Mix

Many teens harbor a dangerous belief that prescription drugs are somehow “safer” than illegal street drugs, but as a narcotics expert interviewed here reminds viewers, “dead is dead.” Pharm parties are a recent trend in which teens contribute pills (often raided from parents' medicine cabinets) to a large bowl and then take handfuls of this “trail mix,” sometimes with deadly results. Pharm Parties: A Lethal Mix aims to educate viewers about the potential effects of ingesting drugs from the three most common types of prescription drug classes. In America, with over 8.4 billion pills floating around from some 60 million prescriptions annually, access is widespread; however, the negative consequences tied to illegal street drug use apply here as well, including criminal prosecution, addiction/withdrawal, and of course, the possibility of death. The interviewed mother of a teen who died of a Vicodin overdose places the responsibility for prevention in the hands of peers, claiming (but perhaps overstating the case) that every teen who has died of over-the-counter or prescription drug abuse had friends who knew what was going on. The accompanying curriculum discusses celebrity drug deaths (including Heath Ledger's), offers exercises related to peer pressure, and reminds teachers of the fine line between educating students about substance abuse prevention and inadvertently providing them with a “road map toward experimentation.” In the wake of Michael Jackson's tragic pharmaceutical-related death, this timely program may find a more attentive audience. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (E. Gieschen)