HR0118 LRB096 08277 GRL 18385 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Household medicine cabinets pose a danger to the
3 health and safety of children and young adults; medicine
4 cabinets may contain pain relievers, anti-depressants,
5 anti-hypertensives, and a myriad of other medications that can
6 harm children; medications prescribed for parents or others in
7 a household may appear safe and benign to some young children;
8 children can often mistakenly think that medicine cabinets
9 contain only "safe" medications that "mom" gives them when they
10 are sick; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Some teens may experiment with prescription
12 drugs; it is becoming increasingly common for teenagers to
13 abuse pain medications or over-the-counter (OTC) medications;
14 and
 
15     WHEREAS, The abuse of drugs can have a very damaging effect
16 on the still-developing brains of children and young adults;
17 prescription and OTC medications that are abused or used for
18 non-medical reasons can alter brain activity and lead to
19 dependence; and
 
20     WHEREAS, It is imperative that children and teens know that
21 prescription medications, OTC medications, and other common
22 items in household medicine cabinets are potentially dangerous

 

 

HR0118 - 2 - LRB096 08277 GRL 18385 r

1 and should not be used improperly or without parental
2 supervision; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Parents need to be informed of the potential
4 danger to their children of common medications lurking inside
5 their medicine cabinets and urged to check their medicine
6 cabinets and discard any prescription drugs that are no longer
7 required to treat a medical condition so that these medications
8 are not available to be misused or accidentally ingested;
9 therefore, be it
 
10     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
11 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
12 urge universities and K-12 schools throughout Illinois to warn
13 children and young adults about the dangers of prescription and
14 over-the-counter drugs, to encourage physicians and
15 pharmacists to alert parents to the inherent dangers of these
16 drugs, and to encourage parents to keep these medications out
17 of their children's reach; and be it further
 
18     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be made
19 available to all K-12 schools, colleges, universities,
20 educational institutions, physicians' offices, and healthcare
21 facilities in the State of Illinois.