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.