Pubdate: Fri, 22 Dec 2006 Source: Eagle-Tribune, The (MA) Copyright: 2006 The Eagle-Tribune Contact: http://www.eagletribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/129 Author: Rebecca Correa, Staff writer Referenced: The survey http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/06data.html#2006data-drugs Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) MORE TEENS ABUSE COUGH SYRUP, PRESCRIPTION DRUGS School-age children aren't just interested in marijuana, cigarettes and alcohol anymore. A national study released yesterday showed the number of students who are using marijuana is decreasing, but the number of students abusing cough syrups and prescription drugs to get high is on the rise. Locally, officials said New Hampshire teenagers mirror the trends revealed in the 2006 National Institute on Drug Abuse survey. Each year, the survey is taken by 50,000 students in grades eight through 12 at more than 400 schools nationwide. Salem Superintendent Michael Delahanty said Salem High School represents the average large high school in the nation and has a drug problem that is "no better or worse" than others. "Today, we're just as likely to find a prescription medication in the wrong hands as we are to find an illegal drug (on students)," Delahanty said. "It is certainly becoming a more prevalent problem for us." Most school officials and police officers agree that cough syrup and prescription drugs are a more affordable way to get high. Kingston police Chief Donald Briggs said, "(Prescription drugs) are so cheap and they're more readily available, a lot of what we find is that kids will take their own prescription drugs or their friends', and sell them to other kids who abuse them." In the past five years, marijuana use among teenagers has dropped nearly 25 percent, according to the survey. Derry police Capt. Vern Thomas said, "Still, more often, we'll find a teenager with cigarettes or marijuana and recreational use drugs with no medical purpose, than we will with (those with a medical purpose)." But Thomas said from behavioral drugs such as Ritalin to painkillers such as Vicodin and OxyContin, the trend of youth abusing medications is a lot more popular than it was five years ago. As the popularity of those drugs surges, so do the efforts in local schools to educate students about the dangers of them. Delahanty said health classes at middle school and high school now include information about cough syrup and prescription drugs, instead of just traditional recreational drugs. "We talk about all of those and anything that's going to change or alter the person's sense of reality is discussed," he said. "It's not as though we focus or limit discussions on the traditional amphetamines ... or cocaine and heroin, some of the more popular drugs like Ritalin and even something like cough medicine is now in (courses) as well." Yesterday, the National Institute on Drug Abuse urged parents to clean out their medicine cabinets routinely and throw out medications that are no longer being used routinely. They also announced that two organizations are teaming up to develop the first tool kit that focuses solely on preventing the abuse of cough medicine. The Community Anti-Drug Coalition and the Consumer Health Care Products Association will soon release a product that will expose the dangers of cold medications. While police agree that parents should be warning their teenagers about the dangers of cough syrup, they said they believe that trend will slowly begin to fade as a new wave of cheap drugs hits the streets of New Hampshire. Briggs, the Kingston chief, said heroin is already a growing problem, and he expects recreational use of methamphetamines will increase as well. "Actually, kids are already moving on to heroin because it's so cheap," he said. "It's being sold for as cheap as $6 a bag." Thomas agreed he's seeing more heroin use in Derry, but at this point mainly adults have been using it. "Heroin has made its way out here and we know that methamphetamine will as well," he said. "Unfortunately, we know whatever adults are doing, kids will follow. So we know it's going to be a bigger problem in the future." [sidebar] SURVEY RESULTS One in 10 high-schoolers admitted to the recreational use of Vicodin in the past year. One in 30 eighth-graders admitted to the recreational use of Vicodin in the past year. One in 14 high school seniors admitted to abusing cold medicine in the past year. One in 10 eighth-graders admitted to using inhalants, such as cleaning products, in the past year. The use of Ecstasy decreased by all ages by more than 50 percent in the past five years.* One in 7 students in grades eight through 12 admit they've used illicit drugs in the past month.* *Denotes an increase over last year's statistics - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake