CHPA case study explores teen abuse of dextromethorphan

WASHINGTON -- The Consumer Healthcare Products Association has published a case study regarding efforts to curb teen abuse of over-the-counter cough medicine containing dextromethorphan. 

The paper, “Dextromethorphan: a case study on addressing abuse of a safe and effective drug,” was published in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, an open access, peer-reviewed journal that encompasses research concerning substance abuse, with a focus on policy issues.

The case study provides an overview of the targeted abuse mitigation plan CHPA launched in 2010 to address levers influencing teen decisions. As noted in the case study, the annual prevalence of OTC cough medicine abuse has sharply decreased since 2010 and remains at an all-time low of approximately 3 percent of U.S. teens. The case study examines the development, implementation, and outcomes of CHPA’s efforts to raise parental awareness of the behavior, increase teen perception of risk and social disapproval, and to limit teen access to the products.

“While we cannot point to one specific effort and say, ‘This is the action that drove down abuse,’ CHPA and our member companies have been disciplined in executing a program that is grounded in research and utilizes tools to ensure our strategies and specific messages were effective,” CHPA Senior Vice President, Policy, and General Counsel & Secretary David Spangler said. “We hope that this case study demonstrates how targeted and less disruptive interventions can be effective when trying to reach teens on niche issues such as dextromethorphan abuse and that the learnings we gained will be beneficial for other groups who are working to positively influence teen behavior.”