Many Teens Abusing Medications
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- ADOLESCENT
- DEXTROMETHORPHAN
- DRUGS, NON-PRESCRIPTION
- HYDROCODONE
- PRESCRIPTIONS, DRUG
- SUBSTANCE-RELATED DISORDERS
While rates of illicit drug use among teens in the United States continue to decline, abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medication in this age group remains alarmingly high, according to results from an annual survey (Johnston LD et al. Monitoring the Future: National Results on Adolescent Drug Use: Overview of Key Findings, 2006. In press). The survey collects data on the attitudes and drug use habits of a nationally representative sample of about 50 000 students in grades 8, 10, and 12 at public and private schools, and is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The number of teens reporting past-month use of any illicit drugs has declined steadily since 2001, when 19.4% of those surveyed reported such drug use. In 2006, the proportion was 14.9%. Marijuana, which remains the most frequently reported drug of abuse, has also seen 5-year decreases in use, although this trend appears to …
