Addiction Research Suggests Just Saying No Is Not Enough

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New studies indicate that are using more drugs at a younger age. The research also shows that tobacco, alcohol and marijuana are 'gateways' to harder drugs such as heroin.

America's children are being introduced to drugs, alcohol and tobacco at increasingly younger ages, signaling a growing entrenchment of these addictions, according to one of several recent reports by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, or CASA, at Columbia University. The number of teenagers who know someone who does a "hard drug" -- heroin, cocaine or LSD -- also is growing.

CASA's sobering news appeared to contradict a recent federal report that teen use of illicit drugs, …