In spite of the decades, and millions of dollars, that have been invested into the education of our youth about the dangers of drugs, teenagers drug use remains as much of a problem today as it was over 40 years ago. However, modern technology has resulted in drugs that are more powerful, easier to obtain, and far more dangerous than ever before.
In a 2005 survey, Students against Destructive Decisions (SADD) reported that 75% of all underage children have tried a full alcoholic drink by the time they have finished high school. That same year, 7,460 children under the age of 21 were killed in car accidents. Of those motor vehicle crashes, 28% involved the illicit use of alcohol.
For teens that become caught up in the desire to experiment with harder drugs, easy access to lab equipment has made them more accessible than ever. However, the unsanitary conditions of these home-based “labs”, along with reckless experimentation by the creators of these drugs, have led to drugs with additives that can be lethal. Impurities in home-made MDMA (”Ecstasy”) and amphetamines cause a handful of teen deaths every year, in spite of the discovery and closure of labs by the thousands. Even the drugs that are pure enough to carry a minimum risk of immediate death are more powerful than ever. For example, careful refinement has led to cocaine that is many times more powerful than that which was seen by previous generations.
Although much media coverage is devoted to teenage alcohol and drug use, there is another silent epidemic among teens that is equally as concerning, and potentially deadly. Across the United States, children everywhere are selling or giving their prescription medications to their friends. As many as 3-4% of children under the age of 14 are prescribed amphetamines, such as Ritalin, to treat Attention Deficit Disorder. However, some of these children have found that the pills can easily be resold for a great deal of money, or simply given away because they dislike the way that the medications make them feel. If you are a concerned parent, it is highly advisable to pay close attention to your child’s medication usage if medication is necessary in the treatment of their condition. Rather than trusting your child with a pill bottle, it may be a better alternative to personally dispense the medication to them in the prescribed daily dosage.
Teenage drug abuse is something that we all have to worry about. If we don’t help our teens before it gets too bad we are going to see a big spike on the teenage drug use statistics.
