There are 23,000 kids who play high school football in New Jersey. About 2,800 of them were prescribed opioids for pain last season.

Or look at any of the basketball teams playing in the group sectionals Saturday: Odds are that one player from each school has popped a Percocet in the past year.

The chief medical advisor for the NJSIAA, which governs scholastic sports, calls it “absolutely alarming.” If 12 percent of male athletes and 9 percent of female athletes are still using these addictive drugs – as federal data indicates — it’s time to remind everyone why they must be kept out of the game under ordinary medical circumstances.

“As a primary care sports physician, I would have no reason to prescribe these drugs,” says Dr. Jack Kripsak. “Maybe for post-operative treatment, you’d need pain medication for a few days. But the best orthopedic surgeons have successfully changed the way they manage post-operative pain. And they are spreading the word.”

The NJSIAA is doing its part, teaming with NJ CARES – the drug policy arm of our Attorney General’s office – on an initiative that adds another layer to anti-addiction strategies. They are producing a video on injury treatment and the danger of prescription pain medicine, and it will be mandatory viewing for student-athletes and their parents next fall.

In a state that suffers an agonizing eight drug overdose fatalities each day, every piece helps.

Kripsak has other smart ideas to enhance awareness, which should be considered in each district: He’d like to see opioid education added to the curriculum, perhaps in health class. “If they talk about drunk driving and recreational drugs,” he says, “this is certainly something that needs more emphasis.”

And every coach and trainer “should get their teams together when the season starts to discuss pain treatment,” he suggests, “if only to remind them that these meds can mess them up for the rest of their lives.”

The NJSIAA should be applauded for its bold safety initiatives of late, notably the restrictions it has applied to football practice contact, which should greatly reduce concussions or related brain trauma.

But athletes still must be encouraged to speak up about pain, coaches should be part of injury-prevention strategies, and parents need to be better informed about safety. Let’s make this a team effort.

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