“They put all the pills together in a big pile and mix them all together,” she pauses for a moment, remembering.  “No colored pills, all white so you can’t tell them apart.  Then everybody takes them one at a time, until they pass out.”

 The idea of students abusing prescription pills to get high is frightening to many, and the new experiment of “skittle parties” or “pill parties” is even more unbelievable.

“It was really scary,” admits the anonymous junior who had witnessed this.  “You’d walk into a room and there were just people passed out all over the couches.”

There have been many articles about these parties in mainstream media, but a recent article by Slate’s media critic Jack Shafer challenged the notion, noticing that a reporter had never actually been witness to a party or had a firsthand account. 

Twelve students were interviewed for this article and, all but one of them personally knew of people who have or are abusing prescription medication.  Four of them were also familiar with the idea of a “pill party,” having overheard conversations by other students about them, and one junior actually admitted having been at such a party.

“It’s insanity really,” said police officer Rob Ransom.  “There are so many different kinds of pills. You could be taking an ‘upper,’  which will increase your heart rate, and the next thing you know you could be taking multiple ‘downers.’. Those have two completely different effects.  Then your heart rate slows down more and more with the ‘downer’ pills, and soon it stops completely.”

That risk of overdosing doesn’t only apply to “pill parties.”. Anytime prescription medication is abused, it contains enormous risk.

“Students sometimes think that because it’s medication, something a doctor gave, it must be safe,” said Ransom.  “But that isn’t the case at all.”

Those who abuse prescription pills often aren’t aware of all their effects, or that the high concentration of some synthetic drugs in the pills can create a higher risk of overdose.

Health teacher Susan Fitch also mentioned that the “I’m invincible” mentality is one reason teens don’t see these drugs as dangerous. “They have the idea that it’ll just be an experience, they’ll feel something but nothing bad will happen,” said Fitch.  “They’re not thinking ‘It will stop my heart rate, I’ll stop breathing.’”

Statistically, teens are becoming less concerned with such risks as the number of those abusing prescription medication rises.

A study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America recently revealed that 20 percent of American high school students have abused prescription medication at least once.

“It’s probably becoming more popular because it’s an easier way to get drugs,” speculates junior Rebecca Guise.  “Parents already have them.”

The same survey also showed that 63 percent of students believe prescription drugs are easy to steal from their parents, a rate that has increased an alarming 56 percent since last year.

“I think that because it was easy to get, because it was there, it was something they did,” said junior Caitlin Segelke, who knows people who have abused prescription medication.  

“I can’t see them doing any other kind of drug, I think because it was medicine they didn’t really see it as a drug.”

She said that the people she knew weren’t using the drugs at parties, but because they were depressed and wanted to forget about their problems.

But despite differing reasons, there is no doubt the abuse of prescription medication is on the rise.  It is currently the second most popular illegal drug, with marijuana in the lead, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. 

“It’s a huge problem right now, even at Cal High,” said Officer Ransom. “Just a few months ago there was a guy on campus who I recognized didn’t belong, he had already graduated.  We found him in possession of Oxycodone.”

The man was charged with   felony, “possession of narcotics”  because he did not have a prescription for the narcotic.

Ransom also mentioned how robbing pharmacies for prescription pills is becoming increasingly common.

On March 23, there was an attempted robbery at a local San Ramon CVS, when a man entered and threatened the woman at the pharmacy counter by passing a note to her that read:
“I have a gun.  If you give me a bottle of 40 mg Oxycodone I will leave without incident.”

“This is not a little problem anymore,” said Ransom.  “It is now a huge thing.”