Prescription Drugs On Teens Essay

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The Effects of Drugs on Teens According to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, deaths from drug overdose and abuse now exceed deaths from motor vehicle accidents in the United States. The statistics revealed the first time that drugs surpassed car accidents as one of the leading causes of death since the government first began tracking drug-related deaths in 1979 (Alvarez). Each year more and more teens are experimenting with drugs. The long term problem of drug use among teens has become even riskier due to the convenience of acquiring these substances. Substantial studies show that marijuana, tobacco, and prescription drugs are among the top drugs abused by teens. According to reports, marijuana use is up 80 percent …show more content…

Many teenagers steal medications from family members or purchase them illegally. Another common ploy used to obtain these drugs, involves the teenager faking certain symptoms and responding falsely when screened by doctors in order to receive medication. Some individuals who misuse prescription drugs, particularly teens, believe these substances are safer than illicit drugs because they are prescribed by a healthcare professional and dispensed by a pharmacist (“Prescription Drug Abuse”). According to several national surveys, prescription medications, such as those used to treat pain, attention deficit disorders, and anxiety, are being abused at a rate second only to marijuana among illicit drug users (Volkow 1). Information released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, states the three classes of prescription drugs are often abused include: • Opioids used to treat …show more content…

It has been said many times that “numbers lie.” Perhaps, at times, that is the case. An athlete’s contributions to her team cannot always be measured by statistics and there is no way to measure one’s determination to succeed, but the toll of drug use on the lives of teenagers is not a game. Too many researchers have reached the same conclusion: our nation is at risk of losing the best and the brightest from among the generation whose task will soon be to determine the course we take as a nation. When the torch is passed to the teenagers of today, it is imperative that we are clear-headed and not “under the influence” when we receive

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