Transcript Slide 1
Prescription Drug Misuse
and Abuse
Rising Concerns Nationally and Locally
What Do We Know?
Most commonly abused
Rx Drugs are:
Painkillers/Opiates (Vicodin, OxyContin)
Depressants (Xanax, Ambien)
Stimulants (Ritalin, Dexedrine)
1 in 5 teens (4.4 million) has abused a prescription
medication
Nearly 1 in 5 teens (4.2 million) has abused a
prescription painkiller
Every day 2500 teens misuse prescription drugs for the
first time (PDFA)
National Statistics
For the first time, there are just as many new abusers (12 and
older) of prescription drugs as there are for marijuana. (SAMHSA,
2006)
Prescription drugs are the most commonly abused drug among
12-13-year-olds. (NSDUH, 2006)
One in 10 high school seniors has used Vicodin in the the past
year (MTF, 2006)
3.5% of 8th-12th graders reported using OxyContin, and six
percent reported using Vicodin in the past year. (MTF, 2006)
OxyContin use by 8th graders exactly doubled—increasing 100
percent over the last four years (from 1.3% in 2002 to 2.6% in
2006) (ONDCP)
2008 Healthy Youth Survey Data
Have you used Prescription Pain Killers “to get high” in
the past 30 days?
4.6% in CC and 4% of WA State 8th graders
9.1% in CC and 10% of WA State 10th graders
10.8% in CC and 12% of WA State 12th graders
Washington ranked 6th in the nation for % of people 12 and older
mis-using prescription pain relievers (Oregon ranked 4th)
Among 12th graders who abused pain relievers, over half used
them three or more times in the past month
WASBIRT DATA
60
All WASBIRT Hospitals
53
50
Southwest Washington Medical Center
44
40
30
24
25
20
20
, 17
10
7
4
1
2
2
3
3
3
0
Alcohol
Marijuana
Opiates
Tranquilizers Hallucinogens
Heroine
Any Drugs
A Look at Access Nationally
From a Friend
Took friend or relative
Bought from a friend or
relative
0.5%
0.1%
18.3%
0.1%
Some Other Way
47.3%
Dealer
2.6%
4.5%
More than 1 Dr.
6.3%
Internet
10.0%
Wrote fake Rx
10.2%
Stole from Dr.s Office
Just 1 Dr.
Where do youth in Clark County
get Prescription Drugs
8th Graders (4.6%)
My own Rx through doctor
A family member gave it to me
Took it without permission
Got it from a friend
Got it from an acquaintance
Got it from a drug dealer
Got it from the internet
Another way
2.5%
1.0%
1.4%
0.5%
0.5%
0.8%
0.1%
0.8%
10th Graders (9.1%)
My own Rx through doctor
A family member gave it to me
Took it without permission
Got it from a friend
Got it from an acquaintance
Got it from a drug dealer
Got it from the internet
Another way
3.8%
1.7%
2.7%
4.7%
1.3%
0.8%
0.2%
1.2%
12th Grade (10.8%)
My own Rx through doctor
A family member gave it to me
Took it without permission
Got it from a friend
Got it from an acquaintance
Got it from a drug dealer
Got it from the internet
Another way
5.9%
2.0%
2.0%
7.4%
0.9%
1.3%
0.2%
1.2%
Three in five teens say prescription pain relievers
are easy to get from parents’ medicine cabinets
Half of teens say they are easy to get through other
people’s prescriptions
More than half say prescription pain relievers are
“available everywhere.” (PATS, 2006)
DASA Rx Info for WA State
Youth admissions to DASA-funded treatment for prescription
opiates are now 16 times higher than in 2000. There were 22
admissions in 2000, and 360 in 2008
In 2008, the Washington State Poison Center received 89 reports
of intentional exposure to prescription pain relievers (opiates) by
teens. Abuse was the most common motivation, followed by
attempted suicide.
In 2007, 454 people died of prescription opiate-related overdoses,
including three youth. There were only 24 such deaths in 1995.4
What are Local Experts seeing
“Everyday Occurrence”
“Some kids will try any drug they find”
Youth are mixing Rx drugs with other Rx
drugs, alcohol, and other substances and
don’t realize the consequences
Concerns about the impact of the local pain
clinic closing
Concerns about high doses of pain meds
being prescribed
Street value of Rx drugs increasing
Prescription Drug Resources Online:
You can find information at:
www.anti-drug.com
www.drugfree.org
www.usdoj.org
www.ondcp.gov
www.samhsa.gov
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/DASA/
Sources Cited:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA)
National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF)
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Healthy Youth Survey (HYS)
Washington State Screening Brief Intervention
Referral Treatment (WASBIRT)
Partnership Attitude Tracking System (PATS)
Washington State Division of Alcohol and Substance
Abuse (DASA)