The use of marijuana has no doubt come down among U.S. teenagers but still the abuse of prescription drugs by them is inching higher. This declaration by White House Drug czar John Walters is quite worrying because irrational use of such prescription drugs could be life threatening.
According to the data available, where the use of marijuana among teens exerted a decline of 4.3 per cent while the graph showing accruement in the abuse of prescription drugs among U.S. teens is quite deplorable. According to this data the use of OxyContin, a painkiller, increased from 2.7 percent to 3.5 percent over the same period. Use of Vicodin, another painkiller, increased slightly from 6 percent to 6.3 percent. Still, I see nothing very much new in this report because previous reports have also naked this growing trend of prescription drug abuse among U.S. teens.
Throwing more light on drug abuse trend Walters remarked:
Teens are also abusing stimulants like Adderall and anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax because they are readily available and perceived as safer than street drugs.
These figures are really disturbing since addiction of these prescription drugs could be quite harmful and may even end in the coffin.
Image credit: Vicodin-addiction
Via: CNN