Teens Ask Tough Questions About Drugs

"The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on water; but to walk on the earth." ~ Chinese Proverb

 

Nonmedical use of prescription and over-the-counter medicines remains a significant part of the teen drug problem. In 2011, 15.2 percent of high-school seniors used a prescription drug nonmedically in the past year. Data for specific drugs show that the most commonly abused prescription drugs by teens are the pain reliever Vicodin and the stimulant Adderall.

 

Ecstasy (MDMA) use is seeing a resurgence among older teens. Past-month use of ecstasy by 12th graders increased from 1.4 percent in 2010 to 2.3 percent in 2011. This may reflect the fact that, like marijuana, ecstasy is no longer considered as dangerous as it once was. From 2005 to 2011, the percentage of 12th graders who said that trying ecstasy once or twice would be risky dropped from 60.1 percent to 49.0 percent.