Pharmacy School Partners with John Kasich to Fight Substance Abuse

The Cedarville University School of Pharmacy is collaborating with Ohio Governor John Kasich to develop educational materials on substance abuse to distribute at churches across the state.

Kasich, who recently ran for the GOP presidential nomination, created a youth drug prevention campaign called Start Talking! with his wife, Karen. The initiative seeks to raise awareness of the dangers of substance abuse through a variety of methods, including bi-weekly e-mail tips.

Cedarville’s pharmacy school is now working with the governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to take the lessons of Start Talking! to churches. Parent tips are also available at starttalking.ohio.gov.

The pharmacy school will help with the project by providing presentations, brochures, and other literature, according to a school press release. Currently, 2 professors and 21 pharmacy students are working on the best ways to communicate the initiative’s drug-free message.

“Drug abuse is tearing apart families in neighborhoods across our state, and we’re pleased that Cedarville University is a partner in our efforts to tackle this epidemic,” said Kim Hettel, director of the governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, in a school press release. “Their eagerness to jumpstart conversations with Christian leaders and host Start Talking! programs will increase the probability that more young people can have a conversation about the dangers of drugs and fulfill their full potential.”

Marc Sweeney, PharmD, dean of the pharmacy school, said this initiative offers students a chance to provide a “tremendous service” to Ohio residents.

“This initiative pulls together 2 aspects for us that are very important,” Dr. Sweeney said in the press release. “First, it allows us to combine our faith and the field of pharmacy into one, but it also provides ways for our faculty and students to infuse biblical principles into a very serious problem. In the end, our hope is for substance abuse to be curtailed or eliminated.”

Beyond the Start Talking! program, Cedarville pharmacy students teach elementary, middle, and high school students about drug abuse, and they also extend their medication expertise to addiction support groups, drug-related ministries, and court-ordered rehab programs, according to a school press release.