Today, Attorney General Sam Olens announced at Duluth High School in Duluth, Ga., the winners of the “We’re Not Gonna Take It” video contest aimed at preventing prescription drug abuse among teens. The winning video was produced by Duluth High School student Axel Gutierrez. The runner-up was produced by Johns Creek High School student Shreyas Jyotishi. The people’s choice award winner was produced by Grovetown High School student Kyla Harner.

“Congratulations to all of the winners of the ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ video contest,” said Attorney General Olens. “We received many excellent entries, and I know the judges had a difficult task in choosing a winner. The winning video sends a strong message that abusing prescription drugs is not a game and can turn deadly quickly.”

This is the second year of the “We’re Not Gonna Take It” video contest. Students were challenged to produce a 30-second video encouraging their peers to live a healthy lifestyle by rejecting prescription drug abuse.

Through a partnership with the Georgia Association of Broadcasters (GAB) and the Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA), Axel Gutierrez’s winning video will be aired on television stations across the State of Georgia.

“HDMA is excited to once again support Attorney General Olens ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ video contest, and we applaud all of the high school students across Georgia that devoted their time, energy and creativity to make this initiative such a huge success,” said HDMA President and CEO John M. Gray. “The ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ winning video communicates a powerful peer-to-peer message about the risks of prescription drug abuse and the importance of embracing a healthy lifestyle. HDMA is proud to help ensure that these messages are shared broadly throughout the state over the next four months.”

“The Georgia Association of Broadcasters is thrilled to be a part of this project,” said Luke Story, GAB Manager of Communications and Operations. “It was so great to see these videos from the contest, and the amazing work our talented high school students produced for a 30 second Public Service Announcement. The message ‘We're Not Gonna Take It’ is so important to our students, and the GAB is excited to be the media partner to distribute it to our TV stations throughout Georgia!”

The winning video and the runner-up were chosen by a panel of judges made up of television reporters around the state. The people’s choice award winner was determined by the video which received the most “likes” on the contest Facebook page. Over 175 videos were entered in the second annual contest. The 2016 contest will take place next fall.

Prizes, for the winner, runner-up and people’s choice award winner, were provided by the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation (MAG Foundation) and the Georgia Pharmacy Foundation.

“The Medical Association of Georgia Foundation applauds Attorney General Olens and every student who participated in this video contest for addressing Georgia’s prescription drug abuse epidemic,” said MAG Foundation President Jack M. Chapman Jr., M.D. “This effort is fully aligned with the MAG Foundation’s ‘Think About It’ campaign to reduce prescription drug abuse – which reminds people that they should only take their medicine as its prescribed, they shouldn’t share their medicine, they should store their medicine in a safe and secure place, and they should properly dispose of any unused medicine.”

“The Georgia Pharmacy Foundation and the Georgia Pharmacy Association congratulate all of the students who participated in the video contest and commend Attorney General Sam Olens for his commitment to combat prescription drug abuse in the state of Georgia,” said Greg Reybold of the Association. “This program brings much needed attention to the issue of prescription drug abuse, educates and engages Georgia's youth, and will likely save lives. The Georgia Pharmacy Foundation and Georgia Pharmacy Association are honored to have been a part of such an important endeavor.”

Safe storage and secure disposal of prescription drugs is critical to reining 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.

The winning videos can be viewed at http://law.ga.gov/were-not-gonna-take-it-video-contest

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