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MAKE CLEAR TO TEEN THE DANGERS OF PAINKILLERS AND INHALANTS

Drug use among teens has taken yet another dip.  But hold the optimism.  The news that 1.3 percent fewer 8th, 10th and 12th graders are experimenting with illegal drugs is offset by two other disturbing trends.  As the age-old favorite marijuana grows passe, University of Michigan researchers found an increase in the number of teens who admitted dabbling with narcotic painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin.  Five percent of the 50,000 teens surveyed from 406 public and private schools admitted they used OxyContin.  And 9.3 percent of seniors fessed up about trying Vicodin.  Anti-drug groups and health advocates ought to sound the alarm for more broadly focused drug awareness campaigns.  The OxyContin usage reported a 4-percent increase over 2002.  Public education is the surest means of guarding against more alarming boosts in the drug's popularity.  Teens need a full understanding of the trouble they're inviting into their lives by playing with painkillers -- more than just dusting off the "Just Say No" slogan. 

Anti-drug officials need to go back to the basics of explaining what constitutes a drug.  The study makes clear that more needs to be explained about the dangers of experimenting with inhalants.  Usage is down among older teens, but too many eighth graders -- 10 percent -- continue to take their chances on the immediate highs that come with inhaling or huffing household products such as aerosol cans and gasoline containers.  Clearly, some of these kids have no idea what they're doing, or how risky it is.  A bit of education could help save a few from traveling any deeper into a life of drugs.