CADCA names CHPA CEO 'Humanitarian of the Year'

WASHINGTON – The Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America honored Scott Melville, president and CEO for the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, at its 18th annual Drug-Free Kids Campaign Awards Dinner held here last week.



CADCA named Melville its Humanitarian of the Year for his commitment to addressing the complex issues of medicine abuse and misuse and for CHPA’s 10 years of outstanding partnership with CADCA.



“I am honored to receive this prestigious award in recognition of the successful collaborative effort to reduce teen abuse of cough medicines containing dextromethorphan," Melville stated. "Our industry is thankful for the partnership with CADCA to help influence teens to make healthy and smart choices in their lives.”



Thanks to CHPA’s support, CADCA has been able to activate coalitions around National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month in October; recognize and reward coalitions who implement robust medicine abuse awareness efforts with the Dose of Prevention award; and provide coalitions with a free resource, the website StopMedicineAbuse.org.



CADCA honored The Honorable Mary Bono, principal, FaegreBD Consulting, and former member of U.S. Congress, as CADCA’s Champion for Drug-Free Kids for her countless hours of leadership and service, both in and out of Congress, towards reducing drug abuse among America’s youth. As a U.S. Representative (1998-2013), she served as co-chairperson of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse and the Youth Drug Prevention Caucus. In 2015, Bono co-convened the Collaborative for Effective Prescription Opioid Policies, which engaged diverse stakeholders behind a comprehensive and balanced public policy strategy to reduce prescription opioid abuse and promote treatment options.



“During my time in Congress, finding solutions to our nation’s prescription drug abuse epidemic was one of my top priorities. After leaving Congress, I was committed to continuing this work by joining CADCA’s board of directors and co-founding CEPOP,” Bono said. “I don’t do this work for accolades. I do it because addressing youth drug use is an issue dear to my heart. However, it’s an honor to be named CADCA’s Champion for Drug-Free Kids, and I’m humbled to accept this special award.”



“We are thrilled to recognize and celebrate the achievements of these two exceptional leaders,” commented Gen. Arthur Dean, chairman and CEO, CADCA. “Scott and Mary have been instrumental to CADCA’s success and have made significant contributions to address medicine abuse and drug use amongst our nation’s youth.”