Community seeks to end teen drug abuse

By Staff Writer

This week, a small town is Connecticut is holding a meeting to bring awareness to prescription drug abuse, which is the leading cause of death for teens in the state.

Patch reports that the abuse of such drugs by this age group is now statistically more deadly than car accidents. Connecticut now ranks among the top states for prescription drug abuse in teens, and the problem lies in the more affluent areas outside of the cities.

In 2009, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, one in five teens nationwide deliberately misused prescription drugs, and every day about 2,500 children between the ages of 12 and 17 used prescription drugs for the first time.

Dr Marita Michelin of Danbury Hospital said that from 2004 to 2008, there was a 112 percent increase in emergency room visits due to the misuse of prescription opioids. In fact, visits due to prescription-drug abuse matched that of those caused by illegal-drug abuse.

Almost 8,000 drug-related emergency department visits in 2004 in the U.S. involved either methylphenidates or amphetamines, like Adderall, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration's Drug Abuse Warning Network.