Project Lazarus Announces Student Contest to Fight Prescription Drug Abuse
Iredell/Statesville Schools students can help fight prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths by
entering a poster/video contest sponsored by Project Lazarus. Project Lazarus is a community based
coalition of volunteers from all sectors of our county created to address the growing trend of
prescription drug abuse and overdose deaths in Iredell County.
To educate young people about the dangers of prescription drug abuse, Project Lazarus is sponsoring
a poster contest for elementary students (K-2 and 3-5) and a video contest for middle and high school
students.
“Prescription drug abuse is a silent Killer that’s on the rise, especially among young people,” states
Attorney general Roy Cooper. Project Lazarus wants our students to tell us the best message to fight
this epidemic.
Data from North Carolina and other states demonstrate that prescription drugs kill more people than
illegal drugs (See HHS 2007 Study – The Burden of Unintentional Poisoning in NC). Approximately
1,000 people died in North Carolina last year from overdosing on prescription drugs, according to
preliminary data from the NC Division of Public Health. Nationwide, fatal drug overdoses are now the
leading cause of death due to unintentional injury, according to the US Center for Disease Control.
The intentional abuse of prescription pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives to get
high is a growing concern, particularly among teens. Among people ages 12-17, prescription drugs
are now the second most abused drug, behind marijuana. Though overall teen drug use is down
nationwide, there are troubling signs that teens view abusing prescription drugs as safer than illegal
drugs.
The student poster/video competition runs from October 28 – November 26. More details including
the contest application are available on your student’s school website. Information on the contest
has been also sent to school counselors/SAPs in ISS system.
Winning students’ posters (K-2 and 3-5) will receive a $50 gift card and their posters will be
reproduced for each elementary school. Winning students’ videos (middle/ high school) will receive a
$100 gift card and their videos will be shown in each middle/high school.
To participate in the contest:
Elementary
1. Produce poster: print name, grade, and school on back of poster.
2. Submit poster to school counselor by November 26th.
Middle/High School
1. Produce an original video and upload it to YouTube.
2. Send an email to your SAP Coordinator that includes a link to the video, your name, grade
level and school name.
3. Complete the application and release form and transcript of the video and give to your SAP
Coordinator by November 26th.
Each school will submit their winning poster/video to Kelly Marcy by Dec. 10th. Winners will be
announced by Dec.20th.