The results of a national survey of teens and parents to identify attitudes about substance abuse revealed the shocking news that kids aged 12 to 17 years old have easier access to prescription pain killers and tranquilizers then they do beer. The survey was sponsored by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University,(C.A.S.A.). Joseph A. Califano, President of C.A.S.A. in the survey's accompanying statements wrote, ?For the first time this year, more teens told us that prescription drugs are easier to buy than beer. The percentage of teens saying prescription drugs are easiest to buy increased 46 percent over last year.?



The abundant supply of prescription drugs like Oxycotin, Percocet, Vicodin and Ritalin available to our youth 12 to 17 years old is outrageous. What is even more alarming is the fact that much of the prescription drugs teen are abusing is actually coming from their parent's medicine cabinet.

According to the study, one-third of the teens who know a prescription drug abuser say that kids who abuse prescription drugs get them from home or the medicine cabinet or from parents. Another one-third say prescription drugs can be acquired from friends or classmates.

The CASA survey estimates that 1/3 of the friends or classmates who supply the drugs likely get them from home making the total estimated percentage of prescription drugs consumed by teenagers nearly half of those who abuse them.

The parents of those teens taking prescription drugs from the home medicine cabinet are solely to blame. The prescription drugs in question are highly potent and highly addictive substances. They should not be left in free and open access to teenagers who may be tempted to try the drugs or sell them to others in school who have become addicted. When a parent discovers their child is using drugs, failing school and life, it is difficult to accept responsibility for having caused much of that situation. It is still, at least partially the responsibility of the parent to protect their child from such harmful substances.

It would be outrageous to think of accepting a parent who supplied their children with Heroin or Cocaine but the prescription pain killers hitting our schools in huge abundance are often even more addictive and higher potency than these commonly abused street drugs. Adults and children alike seek rehabilitation services every day for addiction to Oxycotin, Percocet, Vicodin and Ritalin and other such substances. So it is important for parents to not discount the tremendous danger associated with leaving these type of drugs readily available to children.

With home such a ready source of these drugs, we can deduce that some one-third of those friend/classmate dealers are getting the prescription drugs from their parents or the home medicine cabinet. This means that in total nearly half of the prescription drugs that are being abused by teens originate in the homes of passive pusher parents.

The key thing families are urged to do to prevent their children from being placed in harms way is to lock up these type drugs if they must be in the home and dispose of them promptly when they are no longer needed. As the old adage goes ?an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?, or more directly stated, secure the prescription drugs or take a chance on an addictive future for your children.