March 1, 2022
Mayor's Office
DATE: March 1, 2022
TO: Members of the City Council
FROM:
Tom Butt, Mayor
Subject:
Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month
FINANCIAL IMPACT: N/A
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
N/A
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
When used as prescribed by a doctor, prescription drugs, such as stimulants, sedatives, and opioids, can be helpful in treating many illnesses; but when these medications
are misused, they can have serious consequences, such
as altered thoughts and judgment, addiction, drugged
driving, infectious disease, and adverse effects on
pregnancy.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
PROCLAMATION declaring March 2022 as Prescription
Drug Abuse Awareness Month in the City of Richmond –
Mayor’s Office (Mayor Tom Butt 510-620-6503).
AGENDA
REPORT
March 1, 2022
DISCUSSION:
Prescription opioid overdose deaths also often involve benzodiazepines, which are central nervous system depressants used to sedate, induce sleep, prevent seizures, and relieve anxiety, of which the CDC recommends avoiding taking while taking prescription opioid.
In 2020, there were 478,723 opioid prescriptions given to patients in Contra Costa County, which is an age-adjusted rate of 347.4 per 1,000 residents, higher than the state rate of 333.34, and a total of 16,537 emergency department visits occurred in California that were related to any opioid overdose, 93 of which occurred in Contra Costa County. Provisional data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that in the 12-month period ending in April 2021, overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl, and deaths from natural and semi-synthetic opioids, such as prescription pain medication, increased, and of the estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths nationally, 161 of those occurred in Contra Costa County.
The Alcohol, Marijuana, and Prescription Drug Coalition engages youth and adult stakeholders from across the county to participate in activities to raise about prescription drug safety awareness, promote safe medication storage and disposal and ensure naloxone is available for those at high risk of opioid related overdose. The City of Richmond encourages all community members to participate in prescription drug abuse related prevention programs and activities and to pledge to “Spread the Word… One Pill Can Kill.”
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Proclamation declaring March 2022 as Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month in the City of Richmond