Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the NIDA, noted in
the article that “the use of the painkiller OxyContin grew from 4
percent to 5.
5 percent of high school seniors from 2002 to 2005, and
their use of Vicodin has been consistently over 9 percent, clocking in
at 9.5 percent in 2005.
Slightly higher than prescription drug abuse among teens was the use of
marijuana, noted the article, though there has been a decline in the
use of this drug over the last decade. Statistics show that for
2005, 44.8 percent of 12th graders said they had used marijuana at some
time in their lives, down 0.9 percentage points from 2004. The total
was 34.1 percent for 10th graders, down 1 point. The 16.5 percent among
eighth graders was up 0.2 point, ending the steady decline among this
particular age group which has been in place since 1996.
Lloyd Johnston, of the University of Michigan, who directed the study,
expressed concern about the increase among eighth graders, reported the
article, because of cut-backs in funding for anti-smoking campaigns in
public schools.
Reacting to the report, William V. Corr, executive director of Campaign
for Tobacco-Free Kids, said, " This sounds a clear warning to state and
federal elected officials: Our nation's progress in reducing youth
smoking is at risk unless they take more aggressive action to prevent
kids from smoking and curb tobacco marketing."
