Pubdate: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Copyright: 2006 Sun-Sentinel Company Contact: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone) LEGAL DRUGS Fewer Teens Abuse Illegal Drugs; They Just Chug Cold Remedies Now At first blush, it appears to be encouraging news: Teenagers are not getting high on marijuana, alcohol, cocaine and other hard drugs as frequently as they used to. In fact, illegal drug use among teens has nose-dived 23 percent in the past five years alone. But don't get too comfortable, because that doesn't mean they've given up partying. Nothing involving teenagers is ever that easy. It's just that, instead of hitting the liquor cabinet and the street corner drug dealer, Johnny and Jane are increasingly turning to the medicine cabinet and the drugstore shelves. They're downing their parents' and grandparents' prescription sleep aids or their OxyContin painkillers. They're drinking large doses of over-the-counter cold remedies, and they're chugging Robitussin cough syrup in a trend so hot it's called "Robo-tripping," often losing consciousness, suffering brain damage and sometimes even dying for their momentary high. The latest government-funded survey, "Monitoring the Future," found that 7 percent of high school seniors and 4 percent of eighth-graders had gotten high on over-the-counter medicines in the past year. Abuse of OxyContin and the narcotic Vicodin is also a problem. Another survey done in May by the Partnership for Drug-Free America found an even wider Robo-tripping trend, concluding that one in 10 U.S. teens uses cough medicine to get high. So while teens are getting the message on the dangers of illegal drugs, they are turning to more familiar, widely available and relatively cheap medication. Because these drugs are legal, many teens mistakenly believe they're harmless -- a dangerous assumption that has proven fatal for some. Parents can help turn the tide by getting actively engaged. Educate your children on the dangers of any kind of intoxicant, monitor their behavior for signs of drug use and, easiest of all, clean out your medicine cabinet and lock away your pills. BOTTOM LINE: These trends are dangerous and demand parental watchfulness. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman