Today, Attorney General Sam Olens kicked-off a video contest for Georgia high school students at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga., aimed at preventing prescription drug abuse among teens. The contest, entitled “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” begins today and ends October 31, 2014.

Georgia high school students are challenged to produce a 30-second video encouraging their peers to live a healthy lifestyle by rejecting prescription drug abuse. Students can enter the competition and view the contest rules at www.law.ga.gov/videocontest.

“I want students to understand that just because a drug is prescribed by a doctor does not mean it is safe,” said Olens. “If your name is not on the prescription, do not take the drug, and only take drugs as prescribed. Prescription painkillers are some of the most addictive and powerful substances out there, and they can turn deadly, quickly.”

Prizes will be awarded to first place, runner-up and people’s choice winner. The people’s choice winner will be determined by the video that receives the most likes on the contest Facebook page where the videos will be posted. Winners will be announced in November.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 259 million prescriptions for pain medications were written in 2012. That’s enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills. The CDC has also found that one in five high school students has taken a prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription. In Georgia, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) reports that in 2013, prescription drugs played a role in the deaths of 524 Georgians in the 152 of 159 counties for which it performs autopsies.

Safe storage and secure disposal of prescription drugs is critical to reigning in the drug abuse epidemic. A federal government survey revealed that more than 70 percent of Americans who abuse prescription pain medications get them from friends or family members.

Attorney General Olens’ video competition is being held in partnership with the Council on Alcohol and Drugs, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Drug Free Coalition of Hall County, the GBI, the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency, the Georgia Medical Composite Board, and the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation “Think About It” Campaign.