Pharmacy students share their knowledge — and candy — to help stop prescription drug abuse.

Spurred to action by a personal tragedy, the College of Pharmacy's class of 2010 is taking a novel approach to tell high school students about the dangers of prescription drugs. They're talking to the kids on their level — and using Skittles candies to reach them.

"We want interaction," says Erica Fernandez (AA '05), one of the founders of Generation Rx. "We're not telling them what to do. We're treating them as peers."

Generation Rx, now entering its third year, was inspired when a friend of Fernandez's younger sister died of a prescription drug overdose. The high school student's death became a rallying point for the pharmacy students.

In the two years since, Generation Rx presenters have spoken to thousands of high school students about the dangers — and illegality — of prescription drug abuse.

While many drug-education programs are heavy on scary statistics, Generation Rx programs are structured to be less of a lecture and more of an interactive experience, with pharmacy students sharing knowledge in the same way they might talk to younger siblings, participants say.

"We don't want to seem like young professionals talking down to teens about drug abuse," says Ryan Rodriguez (4PD).

Every program comes with a tasty visual aid. Skittles serve as stand-in drugs, with each colored candy representing a different drug. Every student receives a random sampling, and the pharmacy students explain facts they have learned in their own classes about how such drugs affect the body. They also talk about the dangers of mixing different drugs together, or with alcohol.

Last spring the students were able to talk to students at six high schools. As they all prepare for graduation, however, the members' hope is to expand the program to other pharmacy schools — and by extension, more high schools — across Florida.

It could work, based on what local teachers have said about the impact they've seen.

"The presentation was outstanding," says Maria Randell, a teacher at Oak Hall School in Gainesville who said she'd like to see the group come into her school more often. "They were extremely comfortable and receptive to the students' questions."