Drugs Are Everywhere – Maybe in your kid’s pocket!
October 31, 2009 3:33 am HealthDrug use among teens cuts across all ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic lines. Youth, especially teens, experience pressure to use alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs at increasingly early ages. In fact, in one survey, adolescents ages 12 to 17 named drugs (along with social and academic pressures) as the most important problem they face. “Every child in America is a risk of using drugs, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status.’ -National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse II.
The 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) states that among surveyed youths, ages 12 to 17, more than 1 in 9 (11.6 percent) reported current use of illegal drugs in the 30 days before the study.
· Marijuana is the major illegal drug used by this group; 8.2 percent of youths were current users of marijuana in 2002.
· Among 12 and 13-year-olds surveyed, 4.2 percent reported current illegal drug use. The primary drugs used by 12 and 13-year-olds were marijuana, nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers, and inhalants.
Drug use among teens prevalent! Parents, don’t put you head in the sand. Look up, more importantly, look at your kids. They are being tempted nearly every day with drugs and alcohol. If you Drug test your kids, they are more likely to say no!
