High School Students Abuse Prescription Drugs
According to the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five high school students report that they have taken a prescription drug, such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin, or Xanax, without a doctor’s prescription. It is a common misconception among high school students that prescription drugs are safer to take than illegal drugs. But both can cause adverse reactions and addiction. It is not uncommon for addictions to develop with regular use of drugs like narcotic painkillers, stimulants, sedatives, and tranquilizers.
Of the students who reported abusing prescription drugs, 23 percent were white, 17 percent Hispanic, and 12 percent black. While there was no overall difference in gender – both male and female equaled 20 percent – more white female students (23 percent) abused prescription drugs than Hispanic females (16.6 percent) and black females (10.3 percent). Prescription drug abuse was also higher among white males (22.8 percent) than Hispanic (17.8 percent) and black males (13.3 percent). Prescription drug abuse was the highest among seniors, at 26 percent, and the lowest among freshmen, at 15 percent, with 22.7 percent of 11th grade students and 18.2 percent of 10th grade students reporting use. High school students were also asked about steroid use, and 3.3 percent of them said that they had taken steroid pills or shots without a doctor’s prescription at one or more times in their life. Overall, the prevalence of steroid use was higher among males (4.3 percent) than females (2.2 percent).
Along with prescription drugs abuse, students also reported the use of illegal drugs. Of the 36.8 percent of students who reported using marijuana more than once during their life, 20.8 percent had used it one or more times during the 30 days before they took the survey. Methamphetamine use, also called “speed," “crystal," “crank," or “ice,” was reportedly used by 4.1 percent of students one or more times in their lives. Eight percent of students reported using hallucinogenic drugs, such as LSD, acid, PCP, angel dust, mescaline, or mushrooms, one or more times during their life. Any form of cocaine, such as powder, crack, or freebase, was reportedly used by 6.4 percent of students at least once in their life, and within the month before they took the survey, 2.8 percent of students said they had used some form of cocaine.
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