Prescription drug crisis among teens

While the president is taking credit for an overall reduction in drug abuse among young people based on the results of the latest Monitoring The Future study, the study really shows that teenagers are turning away from marijuana and turning instead to dangerous prescription opioid narcotics like OxyContin (one in 20 high school seniors has taken it in the past year) and Vicodin (one in 10).

Kids are having no trouble finding them -- often right from the family medicine cabinet. Tragically, many kids assume these drugs are safe because they are prescribed by a doctor.

But these opium-derived narcotics are as addictive, and as deadly, as heroin.

The MTF study is consistent with other recent surveys on this dangerous trend. For example, the 2005 Under The Counter study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found new abuse of prescription opioids among teens was up an astounding 542 percent from 1992 to 2003. Addiction rates are soaring. Prescription opioids are now listed on more death certificates that either heroin or cocaine.

Parents ought to take note of this serious problem and talk to their kids -- often.

FDA also plays a crucial role in the solution to this problem. After all, it was the FDA that approved these drugs for widespread use.

How many more young people need to die before the FDA will do something to stop this epidemic? And when will our elected officials in Washington stop ignoring this serious problem?

Think about it -- more than 15 percent of our high school seniors have abused deadly narcotics in the past year alone. One in five seniors has abused prescription pain killers at some point in their young lives. You can help by contacting your elected officials in Washington.

Pete Jackson

Arlington Heights