This is the fourth in a series of blog entries dedicated to the current use of drugs and alcohol by our nation’s youth.
Do you think drugs and alcohol are used by more high schoolers than in previous decades? As a teen growing up in the 1970s and 1980s I remember each generation saying the current generation was using more. I am not sure how the 50s stack up to the 40s as compared to the 30s, but I would venture to guess each of those generations felt the same way about the future youth. As reported in www.drugabuse.gov.
A recent survey revealed that about 36% of high school seniors use marijuana. That equated to about 11 kids per class! Did you think 11 kids in each of your classes was using marijuana in high school?
After marijuana what do you think the most illicit drug used by seniors was? If you have been following the news the answer is simple – prescription medication. The study showed that 36.4% of students use marijuana, with 2.7% powerderized cocaine, 1.2% crack and 1.1% meth.
With respect to prescription medication, 7.6% used Adderall, also referred to as the modern-day “No-Doze.” Following Adderall was Vicodin at 7.5%, cold medicines 5.6%, tranquilizers 5.3% and Oxycontin 4.3%.
What is especially terrifying about these numbers is the percentage of kids on prescription meds. That is almost 30% using illicit and non-prescribed medications. Do these figures alarm you? They should!
Would increased drug classes and alcohol classes help curb teen use? I welcome your opinion.