The 10 Colville-area teens who overdosed on prescription pills Monday were fortunate that adults who cared about them acted quickly and efficiently. Law enforcement folks connected the dots early in this strange incident. An officer was called to Colville City Park to check reports of an unconscious girl. Then two more calls came in, reporting other teens experiencing physical distress. The police then worked to locate all the teens who might have ingested the muscle relaxant baclofen.

Doctors, nurses and staff at Mount Carmel Hospital in Colville acted quickly to stabilize the teens before they were transported to Deaconess Medical Center, where the teens received more medical help while worried family members gathered in waiting rooms and comforted each other. The young people are all expected to recover.

The teens range in age from 14 to 17. The adults who stepped in so professionally and compassionately are to be commended for saving these young lives.

The use of most illegal drugs by teens has declined in recent years. According to the most recent National Institute on Drug Abuse study, released in December 2003, use of marijuana, LSD and Ecstacy has decreased significantly among teens. The institute surveys 50,000 teens a year and has issued reports for the past 29 years.

The report, however, noted increased use of prescription painkillers, specifically OxyContin and Vicodin. Baclofen, the strong muscle relaxant the teens chose to ingest, was not listed in the study because it’s not a drug easy to get ahold of. Patients with multiple sclerosis and spinal injuries are the most common legitimate users. And the pills were allegedly stolen from the home of Marvin Heater, who uses the prescription drugs to control muscle spasms resulting from quadriplegia.

The Colville incident serves as a reminder that the number of prescription drugs in people’s homes has increased over the years, making it easier for young people to find them at home. Medical writer Greg Critser reported in The Los Angeles Times that 46 percent of Americans use at least one prescription drug a day, and pharmaceutical companies spend $2.7 billion annually to advertise directly to consumers. As people age and require even more prescriptions, and as drug advertising increases each year, prescription drugs in home medicine cabinets will continue to increase, too.

Many of the drugs improve physical health and quality of life. But their proliferation in homes provides temptation to young people, who often feel invincible to side effects and the dangers of overdosing. So it becomes the responsibility of adults to make certain their prescription drugs are secure at home. And to educate their children about the dangers of all drugs, including those in pill form.

Parents of young children often warn them to not share soft drinks with others, for fear of catching colds and other illnesses. And they warn against wearing another’s hat, for fear of catching lice. The teen you warn against taking an unknown pill offered at a party might shrug off the warning, but it’s worth a try. Some of the teens in the Colville park Monday turned down the offer of the baclofen, after all. And they were spared public humiliation, family heartbreak and serious physical harm.