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A new study released by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America on Thursday revealed that America's teens are replacing illegal drugs with prescription drugs and over-the-counter meds. The study - based on a survey of 7,300 teenagers - found that as many as one in five between the ages of 12 to 17 admit taking prescription painkillers, such as Vicodin, at least once in the past year. One in 10, or 2.3 million, report taking a prescription stimulant like Ritalin, and another one in 11 have abused over-the-counter medication like cough syrup to get high.
The average age for users to start is now between 13 and 14 years old, and the younger a child begins experimenting with medication, the more likely they are to develop a drug habit reports MTVnews.
"A new category of substance abuse is emerging in America. For the first time, our national study finds that today's teens are more likely to have abused a prescription painkiller to get high than they are to have experimented with a variety of illicit drugs, including Ecstasy, cocaine, crack and LSD. In other words, 'Generation Rx' has arrived," Roy Bostock, chairman of the Partnership, said in a statement.
"Our collective challenge as public health professionals is daunting: to prevent the abuse of medications that are, by and large, essential for millions of Americans,â? said Michael Maves, M.D., executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Medical Association. âWe must focus on preventing the intentional abuse of these medications, and on understanding the fine line between appropriate use and abuse. We should not demonize these otherwise beneficial medications, but rather work to change behavior."
"Adolescent abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medications represents one of the most significant developments in substance abuse trends in recent memory," said Steve Pasierb, president & CEO of the Partnership. "Educating parents and teenagers about the risks of abusing medications will be exceptionally challenging, but it clearly must be done."
Almost half of all teenagers questioned said they believed prescription medicines were "much safer" than street drugs and close to a third said they did not believe they were addictive.
Ecstasy use had declined from 12% at its peak in 2001 to 9%.
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