Teen Drug Abuse Moves to the Medicine Cabinet ; A New Study Finds That Fewer Than 1 in 3 American Teens Now Use Marijuana, but Abuse of Pharmaceuticals Is Rising

Alexandra Marks writer of The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor

There's some very good news in the battle against illicit drugs: Use by America's teens has dropped more than 23 percent during the last five years.

But their abuse of medicines, both over-the-counter and prescription, is rising.

These opposing trends - detailed in a survey of teens released Thursday - reflect the complexity of the US drug scene. They also present a new set of challenges. The most important: How to apply the prevention tools that have apparently succeeded in combating illegal drug use to fight the abuse of legal medicines.

Experts credit campaigns focusing on parental involvement and the dangers of abuse for the significant declines in not …

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Publication information: Article title: Teen Drug Abuse Moves to the Medicine Cabinet ; A New Study Finds That Fewer Than 1 in 3 American Teens Now Use Marijuana, but Abuse of Pharmaceuticals Is Rising. Contributors: Alexandra Marks writer of The Christian Science Monitor - Author. Newspaper title: The Christian Science Monitor. Publication date: December 22, 2006. Page number: 2. © 2009 The Christian Science Publishing Society. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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