Study shows U-S teen abuse of prescription drugs is on the rise
NEW YORK Experts say more kids have raided the medicine cabinet than tried Ecstasy, cocaine, crack or L-S-D. According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, American teens are more likely to get high on drugs like Vicodin (VEYE'-koh-din) and OxyContin than they are on a variety of illegal substances.
The group is releasing a new survey that finds one out of every five teens has used a prescription painkiller for recreational use. That translates to more than four (m) million young people. And, one in every eleven admits abusing products like cough medicine.
The survey finds the medicine cabinet offers easy access, and fewer than half of those surveyed were concerned there was a great risk.
The chairman of the anti-drug group says, "Generation R-x has arrived."
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