1 in 5 U.S. High School Students Have Abused Prescription Drugs, CDC Survey Finds
Jun 03, 2010
One in five U.S. high school students say they have ever taken a prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription, according to the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Conducted every other year since 1991, this is the first year the survey assessed prescription drug abuse among high school students. The survey asked more than 16,000 students if they had ever taken a prescription drug such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin, or Xanax without a doctor’s prescription. Prescription drug abuse was most common among white students, followed by Hispanic students and then black students. Prescription drug abuse was most common among 12th grade students and lowest among 9th grade students. There was no difference in prescription drug abuse by gender. “We are concerned to learn that so many high school students are taking prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them,” said Howell Wechsler, EdD, MPH, director of CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health. “Some people may falsely believe that prescription drugs are safer than illegal drugs, yet their misuse can cause serious adverse health effects, including addiction and death.”
Learn more: Prescription for Disaster: How Teens Abuse Medicine, Amphetamines, Benzodiazepines, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone
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Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)