Prescription Drug Abuse

You would never provide your child with dangerous drugs to use or sell to their friends, but that is exactly what happens daily across the nation and even here in Fort Morgan.
 
Many Medicine cabinets contain first aid supplies necessary for us to care for our children and make them feel better, but many times they also contain prescription or over-the-counter drugs that if abused  can be harmful or even dangerous.

Fort Morgan Police recently investigated a case at a school where a student was caught selling prescription pain-killers on campus to other students.  Most likely the drugs were taken from the medicine cabinet of a parent or grandparent.

We have all heard the credit card commercials asking “What’s in your wallet?” but to help prevent prescriptions drug abuse we should ask ourselves. “What’s in your Medicine Cabinet?”  You can take some simple steps to limit access to these drugs and help keep your teen drug-free.

     1. Safeguard all drugs in your home, monitor quantities and control access.  Keep
         track of the number of pills in a bottle and the number of refills on the bottle.
 
     2. Properly dispose of old or unused medicines in the trash. Don’t keep
         unused prescription drugs from previous surgeries or prescription cold medicines
         that are no longer necessary.
 
     3. Set clear rules for medicine use.  Use only as directed by a medical provider and
         follow instructions for over-the-counter medicines. 

Even if you think you don’t need to worry about your child, how well do you know your child’s friends or neighbor kids who come to your house?  Talk to our teen about the dangers of abusing prescription and over-the-counter drugs.  These are powerful drugs that, when abused, can be just as dangerous as street drugs.

We know better than to leave weapons within reach of our kids and we place alcohol on a high shelf or locked cabinet, yet we carelessly leave controlled medications within easy reach of our kids.  Unauthorized possession of controlled substances could be a felony by law but could be deadly if taken by your child.

Youngsters have been warned about the dangers of “street drugs” but to them, prescription drugs may be considered safer.   However, if taken in the wrong amounts or mixed with other medications or alcohol they could have “grave” results.

April Showers

I thought this would be a good opportunity to remind people that April Showers bring May…Weeds.  Instead of reciting verbatim the weed ordinance, I wanted to find some amusing information about weeds.

While looking for similar tales I searched the internet using the phrase “Funny Weed stories”.  I soon realized what I found was not the kind of “funny weed” I was looking for.  What I wanted to do was remind everyone that soon we will all be battling unwanted plant growth on our properties.

Believe it or not, nobody likes to deal with the annual growing season of weeds but it is one of those duties we are required to deal with yearly.  The City of Fort Morgan passed an ordinance in 1961 that makes it unlawful for any property owner, tenant, or person responsible for such land, to permit weeds to grow on the property.

The ordinance states that weeds must be “cut close to the ground” but does not specify what height is acceptable.  Generally speaking, mower height is what is expected.  Areas that need to be kept weed-free include along sidewalks, and in the alleys.

It’s not too early to begin planning for the yearly battle of the annoying growth.  Recent moisture and warm days will accelerate the growing of weeds.  Having a plan now will help you keep on top of unwanted vegetation.

If you are a renter, now is the time to speak with your landlord about whose responsibility it is to cut weeds on the property you live on.

Unwanted weeds are inevitable as spring progresses into summer.  Don’t ignore the problem and hope no one notices.  Property owner and tenants need to be proactive by maintaining a weed-free property or they may find themselves receiving a citation for weed growth and accumulation.

Enforcing the city weed ordinance is difficult.  Over the years, the department has tried several different approaches to encourage people to rid their property of weeds.  Unfortunately they have found that when warnings are given in all circumstances, compliance is not as successful.  Officers are not required to give a warning, and violators could receive a summons for a first time violation.

Spring brings new growth and new beginnings; unfortunately it also brings unwanted weed problems.  Be prepared to monitor your property for nuisance weeds.  If you need assistance, make plans now to have someone help you.

If you live near someone who needs help with maintaining their property, perhaps you could offer to mow their weeds when you are taking care of your own weed problem.

Together we can enjoy more of the flowers, and less of the weeds, from the April showers.