2009 Monitoring the Future Survey Shows that Drug Abuse Continues to Be a Pervasive Problem

The 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey -- the largest annual national survey that tracks drug abuse among 8th, 10th and 12th graders -- indicates that teen abuse of prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines continues to be a widespread problem. The survey shows that an alarming number of youth who abuse prescription drugs obtain them from friends and relatives.

According to the survey, 33 percent of 12th graders who reported abusing a prescription narcotic within the last year received the drug from a friend or relative; 21 percent bought the drug from a friend or relative; 19 percent abused a medication prescribed to them by a physician; 12 percent took the substance from a friend or relative; and 8 percent bought the drug from a dealer or someone they didn't know. Among the same group of teenagers, the study found that prescription and over-the-counter medicines account for 8 of the 13 most frequently abused substances.

Steve Pasierb, president of the Partnership for a Drug Free America, commented on the findings: "The Monitoring the Future study confirms that teen abuse of Rx and OTC medications continues to be a pervasive problem that unfortunately has become a far too normal part of many teens' lives. Teens are not only getting these medications from their own homes, but even more troubling, they are also getting them from friends and relatives.

"It is important for parents to educate themselves about the medications kids are abusing and communicate with their kids to dispel the notion that medicines can be safely abused. It is also crucial that parents safeguard medications at home, limit access, keep track of quantities and make certain that friends and relatives do the same."

(Source: www.news-medical.net)

Labels: prescription-drug-abuse, teen drug abuse

posted by Aspen Education Group @ 8:48 AM