2. The facts are clear, teens are abusing drugs but one type of drug is growing in popularity and that is prescription drugs. The ease of access and the fact that they are common to everyone keeps the suspicion done among the adults. There is a growing epidemic among teenagers with abuse of prescription drugs and the abuse of legal prescription drugs is illegal. Prescription Drugs carry the same characteristics of any other drug. They are just as addictive and harmful for the individual if used outside the directions of the directions given by a physician. TEENS AND PRESCRIPTIONS INTRODUCTION

3. “More than 2,000 teens begin abusing prescription drugs each day. Many kids believe prescription drugs are safer to abuse than illegal drugs. After marijuana, the most common drugs teens are using to get high are prescription medications.” JUST THE FACTS ABOUT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

4. “12-17 year olds abuse prescription drugs more than ecstasy, heroin, crack/cocaine and methamphetamines combined. More than 70% of people 12 and older who abuse prescription drugs say they get them from a friend or relative. The most commonly abused prescription drugs are pain medications, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medications and stimulants (used to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders).” JUST THE FACTS ABOUT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS CONT

5. “As many as 1 in every 5 teens in America say they have taken a prescription drug that was not prescribed for them. Two-thirds of teens who abuse prescription drugs did so before the age of 16. 14% of teens (about 1 in 7) in a recent study reported using prescription pain relievers not prescribed for them in the past year, and 9% (about 1 in 11) reported doing so in the past month.” JUST THE FACTS ABOUT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS CONT

6. Prescription Drug Abuse Facts & Figures | Rx Safety Matters | Rx Safety Matters. (2011, April 6). Retrieved August 5, 2014, from http://www.rxsafetymatters.org/families-and-communities/facts-and-figures/ REFERENCES