California Community Fights Teen Prescription Drug Abuse

Glendora, Calif., has seen a disturbing trend in the last couple of years: a drastic increase in the incidence of teen prescription drug abuse. According to data from the local school district, in 2006, 46 students were suspended for prescription drug use. The next year, the number rose to 54, then to 55 in 2008.

Last Christmas, a 15-year-old Glendora teen died from an overdose of prescription drugs that he got at a friend's house. In September, another high school student who was allegedly addicted to the prescription anti-anxiety drug Xanax shot himself. And last month, a Glendora teen was found running through traffic on a main boulevard after ingesting 40 OxyContin pills, Xanax and alcohol.

In response to the surge in teen prescription drug use, local law enforcement and school officials are collaborating to get the word out to unsuspecting parents and other adults: The stereotypical drug dealer is no longer the norm. More and more teens are buying drugs from their middle-class peers or obtaining them from the medicine cabinets of family, friends and acquaintances.

On Nov. 2, 2009, the police and school district held a drug forum at a local gymnasium to discuss local teen abuse of prescription drugs.

(Source: www.pasadenastarnews.com)

Labels: addiction, drug-abuse, prescription-drug-abuse

posted by Aspen Education Group @ 8:12 AM