Recent media coverage by the CT News Junkie highlighted MedicineSafe, a joint effort of CSIP and the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. Connecticut is the second state to join the initiative; North Carolina was the first. According to CSIP Director, Marjorie Clifton, “in the first six weeks North Carolina used the program, “we got 80,000 click throughs.” MedicineSafe helps guide the public in safely purchasing medications online. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates “97 percent of online pharmacies are illegitimate and unsafe.”
The MedicineSafe website provides tools and resources that the state coalition members can distribute to schools, pharmacies, health care facilities, and community centers. It also uses geo-location to provide tailored resources and ads through Facebook, Google, and Bing to raise awareness and better target programs and services to users.