Connecticut is one of the first states to join a new effort to combat the opioid crisis. MedicineSafe aims to coordinate the efforts of many different agencies in keeping addictive painkillers out of the wrong hands.
MedicineSafe has been put together by an online group called the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies. That group of major internet companies, including Google, PayPal and FaceBook, was set up in 2011, to try to identify and warn people about counterfeit medicines being offered online.
Now it’s added a new mission.
“We started getting calls saying - gosh, you guys are already in this space talking to families about prescription drug safety - we need help,” said Marjorie Clifton, the executive director of the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies.
The MedicineSafe campaign will act a convenor of organizations that are already active in fighting the opioid crisis, offering them online tools and resources to be able to reach out to affected communities and organizing events including safe disposal of unused medicines.
"The tools and resources that we have in our campaign and that I think are so critical are not just about getting direct help for that person experiencing addiction, but getting help and resources for all the people who are there and trying to love that person and know how to help them," said Clifton.
Connecticut and North Carolina are the first states to partner with MedicineSafe.
Here the campaign will engage with AARP and the Partnership for Drug Free Kids, and the effort is backed by the Attorney General’s office and the office of Governor Dannel Malloy.
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