Blog #6

After discussing everything with my group I realized, that although our stakeholders all have the same viewpoint, we need to rework a lot of things in order to show our viewpoint and what we think of the abuse of prescription drugs. Instead of dissecting all the different people involved with prescription drug abuse, we as a group decided to focus more on what prescription drug abuse is, how to fix and change the regulations to better benefit society and then the consequences that I will inevitably come if nothing changes. We think by discussing this we can better inform the class on the current issues. Discussing the view points of others might just confuse the audience rather than help them understand the problem the United States are facing.

Since all of our original sources were people themselves, the sources that we need to work with are statistical sources and new law are regulations that in the works right now not just opinion because opinions don’t change situations, actions do.

Blog #5

After reading a little about all four types of systems I knew immediately that I wanted to do classical. I do think it is the simplest out of the four, but I feel that with the topic my group and I have, I think it would work the best. Most people don’t know a lot about the issues in pharmacy so I feel that to put it in a simple way with the basic facts will inform, but not overwhelm the audience. I think we should open with facts and statistics to at least get the audience interested since prescription drugs is a topic your either interested in or your not.  I think this will surprise the audience enough to make them want to listen and here what we say. After that I think our stance on the issue should be made and why we feel that way. Since all four of our stakeholders were different I think we could all express our own opinions and then those of our stakeholders if they support what we think as well. The opinion of a doctor, pharmacist government official and an addict themselves will correlate with each other. After that I think the current laws and regulations should be talked about so then it is obvious what needs to be changed.  Once the audience has been informed of our stance, and the ways to change the current rules and regulations my group would wrap up in a clever and powerful way. Give them the cause and effect if nothing changes and then the benefits if things do change. After that I think we should end with a question to continue to make the audience think even after we are done presenting.

In the past projects, I’ve always been the one stuck doing all the work at the last minute. Or people always canceling when scheduled to work together. I really hope with this new group the work can be spread out evenly. I also hope that my group can meet a couple of times so that we are all confident. I want to have this done in advance so that nothing is last minute.

Image Analysis

          

              Over the past decade the abuse of prescription drugs has skyrocketed. The number of people abusing prescription medications in 2012 rose to 6.8 million users from 6.1 million users in 2011, a 10% increase, as indicated in the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health. This annual report provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also shows that prescription drugs continue to be

one of the most abused controlled substances, second only to marijuana. Abuse rates for all major categories of prescription drugs saw increases, with painkillers remaining the most abused substance (with nearly 4.9 million illicit users, up from 4.5 million in 2011). Despite these increases, rates of prescription drug abuse among youths aged 12 to 17 remained at 2.8%, preserving a gradual decline from a rate of 4% in 2002. Over half the number of people who obtained prescription drugs for non-medical use received them from a friend or relative at no cost, while another 15% bought them or took them from a friend or relative. Prescription drug related deaths now outnumber those from heroin and cocaine combined, and drug overdose deaths exceed motor vehicle-related deaths in 29 states and Washington, D.C. Misuse and abuse of prescription drugs costs the country an estimated $53.4 billion a year in lost productivity, medical costs and criminal justice costs, and currently only one in 10 Americans with a substance abuse disorder receives treatment.

            One organization that is dedicated to helping solve this issue is The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. NABP’s member boards of pharmacy are grouped into eight districts that include all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Australia, eight Canadian provinces, and New Zealand. The Association is governed by its Executive Committee, whose officers and members are elected during the Association’s Annual Meeting.

         Colors have deep subliminal meanings that affect our thinking and rational. They have symbolic meaning that changes amongst different cultures and countries. The NABP’s logo evokes a sense of power. The use of red captures your attention and pulls you in. Red is passionate and I think this is NABP’s color because they are passionate about helping everything. The logo also incorporates white as well. White is not a color, but it stands for wholeness and completion. In many cultures it represents openness and truth. White has a cold quality. It can provide clarity, as its energy is complete. White has purification vibrations and can be used to clear blocks from your path. It holds the potential to move toward every other color and this makes it a good choice for new beginnings, and development in any direction. When these colors are put together the organizations ethos is revealed. It represents a strong and passionate association that wants to make everyone healthy and it also gives you a sense of peace and reliability. Looking at it I feel that they are organized and know what they are doing. Their professionalism is very able to see.

            Along with the color the shape is also important. The logo has two circles within a circle. The circle symbolizes infinity and eternity because the curves never end. The circle has no beginning or end. This is important because it means that this association will always try its best to better the community and the people apart of it. The rest of the logo includes its name and founding date which is necessary to both know what its for and to allow for credibility since its been around for a long time which sometimes people need to see in order to trust something they don’t know. The pictures inside are medical images that most people wouldn’t know but is put on there so you can tell its health related. Although this image is simple and precise it does say a lot and I think that it has the perfect amount of information on it to inform and not overwhelm.

National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®). N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.

"Color Psychology | Infoplease.com." Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. | Infoplease.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.