Prescription drugs are legally prescribed by doctors to treat medical conditions, and thus may be considered by some people as safe to use or to use more than the recommended dose, even if it is to get high. However, prescription medications, when not taken as prescribed, can be very harmful.
In LAC, 29.7% of individuals aged 12 or older believed that it is safer to use prescription medication to get high than illegal streets, and 16.8% believed that it is okay to take more than the doctor recommended dosage of prescription medication (Figure 1).
In 2017, 16.8% of LAC residents agreed or strongly agreed that it is okay to take more than the recommended dosage if they were feeling more pain than usual. Individuals who had ever misused prescription medication were more likely than non-users to believe it is okay to take more than the recommended dosage (Figure 2).
Males were more likely than females to believe that it is OK to take more than the recommended dosage of prescription medication if they were feeling more pain than usual. (Figure 3).
In general, younger individuals were increasingly more likely to believe that it is OK to take more than the recommended dosage of prescription medication than older individuals (Figure 4).
Perceived safety of taking more than the recommended dosage of prescription medication was not significantly different across race/ethnic groups (Figure 5).
A large proportion of people do not perceive prescription misuse to be a great risk in LAC, though more people believe it is a great risk for youth than they do for adults.
About 68.3% of LAC residents believed adults greatly risked harming themselves if they occasionally (at least once or twice a week) misuse prescription medications (Figure 6).
Similarly, about 69% of LAC residents believed youth greatly risked harming themselves if they occasionally misuse prescription medications (Figure 6).
Those who have ever misused prescription medications (PWMRx) were less likely to perceive occasional prescription medication misuse as a great risk to both youth and adults compared to non-misusers (Non-PWMRx) (Figures 7-8).
Females were more likely than males to perceive a great risk of harm from misusing prescription medication to both adults and youth (Figures 9-10).
Perception of great risk of harm from misusing prescription medication was higher in the older age groups compared to younger age groups (Figures 11-12).
Perceived risk of harm from regularly misusing prescription medications to adults and youth were not significantly different across race/ethnic groups (Figures 13-14).
Females were more likely to perceive easy access to prescription medications compared to males (Figure 17).
Easy access to prescription medications around the street in the neighbor was perceived across age groups (Figure 18).
Asians were less likely to perceive easy access to prescription medications compared to Latinxs and Blacks (Figure 19).
Figures 1-19.
Prescription Medication Misuse and Public Perceptions in Los Angeles County: Findings from the 2017 Community Needs Assessment. Health Outcomes and Data Analytics, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, March 2019.
Prescription Medication Misuse and Public Perceptions in Los Angeles County: Findings from the 2022 Community Needs Assessment. Health Outcomes and Data Analytics, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, April 2022.