Pubdate: Tue, 26 Dec 2006 Source: Des Moines Register (IA) http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/OPINION03/612260302/-1/NEWS04 Copyright: 2006 The Des Moines Register. Contact: http://desmoinesregister.com/index.html Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/123 POPPING PILLS, JUST LIKE ADULTS The good news: Fewer teens drank alcohol or used illegal drugs in the past year. The bad news: Many reported taking cold or cough medicines to get high. The worst news: Many also abuse prescription painkillers and stimulants. Nearly 10 percent of high school seniors surveyed admitted using excessive doses of Vicodin, a painkiller. These are among the findings in a recent study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health. It seems high school students are getting the message that using illegal drugs is a bad idea. But a 2005 study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America found fewer than half of teens surveyed thought there was "great risk" in experimenting with prescription drugs. Where would they get that idea? Maybe it's a result of living in the prescription-drug capital of the world. Americans spend more money per person on prescription drugs than any other country. Maybe it's the result of the billions of dollars drug makers spend on consumer advertising. From a young age, kids watching television learn there's a drug for nearly every condition. Adults in America pop pills left and right. No one should be surprised their children are following suit.