Pubdate: Mon, 26 Dec 2005
Source: Times Daily (Florence, AL)
Copyright: 2005 Times Daily
Contact:  http://www.timesdaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1641
Author: Randolph E. Schmid, AP Science Writer

PRESCRIPTION-DRUG ABUSE UP AMONG TEENS

WASHINGTON -- America's teens are smoking less and popping pain pills more.

The lure of the family medicine cabinet helped nearly one in 10 high 
school seniors try out prescription painkillers in 2004, even as 
their generation continued turning away, at least slightly, from 
smoking and many other drugs.

The decline in illicit drug use by teens was modest, but continued a 
trend, according to the government's annual study of drug use by 
eighth, 10th and 12th grade students.

And while teen cigarette smoking fell to its lowest level since the 
survey began, eighth graders showed their first increase since 1996 
in smoking in the month before the survey.

The survey of nearly 50,000 teens across the country found that 21.4 
percent of eighth graders had used some illicit drug in their life, 
down from 21.5 percent a year earlier. For 10th graders, it was 38.2 
percent, down from 39.8 percent and the figure for 12th graders was 
50.4 percent, down from 51.1 percent.

Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 
called that continuing decline "quite remarkable news."

But, she told a briefing where the annual report was made public, 
abuse of prescription drugs by teens is a growing problem.

Use of the painkiller OxyContin grew from 4 percent to 5.5 percent of 
high school seniors from 2002 to 2005, she said, and their use of 
Vicodin has been consistently over 9 percent, clocking in at 9.5 
percent in 2005.

In Alabama, Red Bay police Sgt. Scottie Belue recently coordinated a 
seminar to inform law enforcement officers about the rising problems 
with prescription drugs.

"There is a definite problem with prescription drug abuse in our 
area," Belue said. "The more we learn about it, the more we can do to 
fight it."

Debbie Knott, administrative assistant with the Substance Abuse 
Council of Northwest Alabama, said prescription drug abuse is 
becoming a major problem. She does not see, however, that one 
particular drug has replaced another.

"There are a variety of problems out there," she said.

"Alcohol and pill abuse are a problem, but I don't think one replaces another."

Knott said that a national decrease in one type of abuse or another 
does not mean the problems are going away.

"Most of the time, they are using what they can get," she said. "If 
someone is using pills but don't have any, and there is a case of 
beer there, then they will just substitute it."

Nancy Cooper, who serves as the Safe and Drug Free Schools counselor 
in Russellville, said that curriculum at local schools is based on 
stopping the "gateway" drugs.

"If we can keep kids from using cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and 
inhalants, then they are unlikely to go on to use other drugs," Cooper said.

Only marijuana topped prescription drugs in teen use, Volkow said, 
and that has been declining over time. For 2005, 44.8 percent of 12th 
graders said they had used marijuana at some time in their lives, 
down 0.9 percentage points from 2004. The total was 34.1 percent for 
10th graders, down 1 point. The 16.5 percent among eighth graders 
were up 0.2 point, ending a steady decline since 1996.

Study director Lloyd Johnston, of the University of Michigan, noting 
that eighth graders had also ended their declines in tobacco use, 
raised a concern about reduced funding for anti-tobacco messages. The 
ongoing study is called Monitoring the Future.

"The best news in this year's report is the significant decline in 
cigarette smoking, not just because that ultimately is the most 
deadly drug but also because it confirms that drug abuse is best 
reduced through sensible public health measures rather than criminal 
penalties, prosecutions and prisons," said Ethan Nadelmann, executive 
director of the Drug Policy Alliance.

William V. Corr, executive director of Campaign for Tobacco-Free 
Kids, said the report "sounds a clear warning to state and federal 
elected officials: Our nation's progress in reducing youth smoking is 
at risk unless they take more aggressive action to prevent kids from 
smoking and curb tobacco marketing."

Findings of the survey of 49,347 students in 402 public and private 
schools across the country found:

# Some 75.1 percent of seniors have taken alcohol at some time. For 
10th graders, 63.2 percent have tried a drink and the figure is 41 
percent of eighth graders.

# More than half, 57.5 percent of seniors, said they had been drunk 
at some time, compared to 42.1 percent of 10th graders and 19.5 
percent of eighth graders, down 0.5 point.

# Among seniors, 2.6 percent have tried steroids compared to 2 
percent in 10th grade and 1.7 percent in eighth grade.

Johnston said steroid use was a problem in the 1990s but has faded 
with the increasing attention to the problems caused by these drugs.

On the other hand he said an increase in use of inhalants indicates 
the lessons learned from an anti-inhalant campaign in the '90s are being lost.

Karen Tandy, of the Drug Enforcement Administration, warned of the 
increased availability of drugs through the Internet.

Belue said Red Bay police and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office 
worked together to stop an illegal operation where several 
individuals were purchasing prescription drugs over the Internet.

While federal officials stressed the long-term declines in drug use, 
others saw things differently.

"The survey results expose the abysmal failure that is the War on 
Drugs," said Scarlett Swerdlow, executive director of Students for 
Sensible Drug Policy.

Staff writer Jonathan Willis contributed to this report.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman