Employing Strategic Campus–Community Partnerships to Address Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use on College and University Campuses

TLDR: A collaborative needs assessment is conducted and a number of key elements necessary for strategic campus–community partnerships to reduce the prevalence and harm associated with NMPDU are recommended.

Abstract: Although a distant fourth to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use, nonmedical prescription drug use (NMPDU) far exceeds all other illicit drug use on college and university campuses. Campus officials might be unaware of the impact of NMPDU on student health, including drug-related emergency room visits, sexual assault, violent behavior, and academic misconduct. The authors collaborated as scholar-practitioners, representing the nonprofit sector, the public sector, and university life, to understand the needs of campus practitioners in preventing and responding to NMPDU. As a result of a collaborative needs assessment, the authors recommend a number of key elements necessary for strategic campus–community partnerships to reduce the prevalence and harm associated with NMPDU. The role of social workers in this framework is discussed.