Parents to get much needed info at drug symposium

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Lupita Murillo - View Bio

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Young people over dosing on prescription drugs a major problem in the Tucson area.

This evening, the Counter Narcotics Alliance is teaming up with "The Partnership for a Drug Free America" to alert parents about the dangers.  Colleen Pyra of the Arizona chapter of partnership for a drug free America says, "the education you're going to get tonight could save your child's life."

Colleen Pyra is with The Partnership for a Drug Free America, the Arizona affiliate. She says over a dozen young people have died of drug over doses since January. Pyra says, "Kids are dying here in the Tucson area; we need to educate the community about the danger of prescription drug abuse and about the dangers of abusing opiates in general."

In 2008, Chad Looney's dreams and goals came crashing down when he died of a drug overdose.
"When you hear overdose, the first thing in people's mind is heroin and cocaine, the bad drugs, drugs that you can't buy over a counter. It's not like that either. Its kids out there popping pills, prescription pills," says Pyra.

She added, "Prescription drug abuse is really become acceptable, it's become normalized in teen culture they think it's not dangerous they think if it's prescribed by a physician or pharmacist that it can't harm them."

Of course that's not the case Chad Looney is an example of that. Robert Looney says, "My son is a prime example of peer pressure, and it only takes one time, he didn't get a second chance."

So by attending tonight's symposium you could save your child's life and the lives of others.

7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Ironwood Ridge High School, 2475 W. Naranja Dr, Oro Valley