Persuasive Speech on Drugs - 550 Words

Persuasive Speech on Drugs (Speech Presentation Sample) Content: Persuasive Speech on DrugsNameInstitutionPersuasive Speech on DrugsIntroductionThe abuse of over-the-counter and prescription drugs has reached an overwhelming proportion. Today, most people who go to the drug store to get medication for simple ailments such as headaches end up leaving with a host of other over over-the-counter drugs that they had not purposed to purchase. If any of us has ever gone to the drugstore to purchase an aspirin and ended up leaving with five different types of drugs, then you should know that this is not just your problem as research has shown that Americans spend close to 20 billion dollars on drugs that can be purchased over the counter. What many of us do not yet know is that 250,000 Americans are hospitalized every year due to reactions brought about by drugs that are innocently bought over the counter.According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), America has perhaps the best over-the-counter testing procedures in t he world, and this has given many people the false belief that these drugs are safe. However, the fact that over-the-counter drugs can be bought virtually anywhere does not mean that they are safe. These drugs have numerous advantages if used in the right manner, but they also pose real threats when they are abused. My proposition is that an education is important for all types of drugs and should be inclusive of the right dose, the threats involved, and the hazards of mixing drugs.There is enough research that shows that the abuse of prescription drugs is on the rise especially among young people. Over the years, there have been numerous cases of people who died after overdosing on over-the-counter drugs. There is a need to create awareness among young people and indeed all consumers of authorized drugs, particularly when those drugs are used together with other substances. It is necessary for consumers to be more careful mostly on the dosage and the rate of use. When young peopl e and other consumers have the right information regarding drug use, many innocent lives will be preserved (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006).There are numerous side effects that are linked to the misuse of over-the-counter drugs that are used to treat common ailments such as headaches and colds. If not correctly used, such simple drugs are capable of triggering other chronic conditions. According to Michael Cohen (2014), "teens and young adults who learn about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50% likely to abuse drugs." This should act as a wake up call for stakeholders to start taking the issue of education on over- the-counter- drugs seriously (Cohen, 2014).Many lives would be saved if there were more TV adverts that were directed towards creating awareness on the dangers of abusing over-the-counter drugs just as there are adverts that provide education on illegal drugs. This education should mostly be conducted among adolescents since they believe tha...