National survey reveals teen drug abuse on the rise

By Staff Writer

In a recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), increases in teen drug use of prescription medications and marijuana show that there is a great need for parent involvement.

The results mirror research from the 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), which indicated an increase in the use of substances that teens are likely to encounter in social situations, such as alcohol, ecstasy and marijuana. The data also revealed that nearly half of parents of teens who have used drugs either waited to take action or took no action at all.

"All of the signs and studies have been pointing to a softening of anti-drug attitudes among teens, and now, to the confirmation that teen drug use is rising," said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "After a decade of progress and declines in teen abuse of drugs and alcohol, this issue has fallen off the national agenda. We've become complacent, and the result is a generation less attuned to the devastation that teen addiction can cause families."

Data from both NSDUH and PATS indicates the need to restore support for federal prevention programs, which have seen declines in financial aid over the past several years.