Prescription Drug Abuse Rising Among Teenagers
Prescription drug abuse among teenagers is on the rise across the country. More and more kids are sneaking into their parents’ medicine cabinets and bedside tables and taking whatever they find there in the way of prescription narcotics and opiate painkillers. Rural areas, suburbs, cities: it doesn’t matter where you live. Prescription drug addiction is affecting teenagers across cultures, gender, and class.
Teen Prescription Drug Abuse in Greenbrier County, West Virginia:
According to Erin Barnett at WVNS 59 in Greenbrier County, West Virginia:
“The DARE Unit and the Greenbrier Medical Arts Pharmacy have teamed up for the second annual health and safet fair. The focus was on the rising prescription drug abuse among teens. The goal is to educate the students about the dangers of drug abuse.
“The DARE program has been doing surveys with students at Eastern Greenbrier Middle School. Lewisburg Police Sargent David Howard said the results are startling. He says in most cases, 75% of the students said they have in some way encountered prescription or over-the-counter drug abuse.”
Teen Prescription Drug Abuse in Arizona:
According to Ofelia Madrid and Alex Bloom at The Arizona Republic:
“Four eighth-grade students from Fountain Hills Middle School have been suspended after one of them distributed roughly 100 OxyContin tablets that he stole from his grandmother, school officials said Thursday.
“The pills, used to treat severe pain, were sold or distributed to between 12 to 20 students, said Bill Myhr, Fountain Hills Unified School District superintendent. Two students were taken to the hospital Wednesday for precautionary reasons.
“The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission reported in October that prescription-drug abuse increased among eighth-, 10th- and 12th-grade students since 2006. The Arizona Youth Survey administered by the commission said that 17 percent of Arizona eighth-grade students reported using prescription medication without a doctor’s prescription.”
Teen Prescription Drug Abuse in Madison, New Jersey:
According to Sally Capone at the Madison Eagle:
“If the parents of a teen notice that their prescription drugs are dwindling faster than they should, it may be due to something that most parents don’t like to admit, said Frank Iannarone, owner of the Madison Pharmacy at 66 Main St. Within the past three years, Iannarone said, he has seen a rise in prescription drug use by teens.
“When he notices that customers are refilling prescriptions too soon, he’s alerted to a problem that is growing nationwide. Because parents are reluctant to admit that their teens may be dipping into the medicine cabinet, they may blame the pharmacist for miscounting, Iannarone noted.
“Last May, a Madison High School student allegedly came to school with more than 100 prescription pills – and the intent to distribute them. The 15-year-old girl was arrested and charged with numerous drug offenses. She was found to have 107 pills in her possession, including antidepressants and anticonvulsants, according to police.
“Around the same time, an 18-year-old male and a 15-year-old male were charged with possession of more than 70 pills of oxycodone, a pain medication, with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of Madison High School on Ridgedale Avenue.”
More Views on Teenage Prescription Drug Addiction
A blogger at Discovering Alcoholic has an interesting view on prescription drug addiction and the kids who are using them, dying from them and getting arrested for sharing them with their friends.
What do you think?
Tags: Prescription Drug Addiction, teen prescription drug abuse
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