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In the News - March 2010
Teen prescription drug abuse in Arkansas by the numbers
LITTLE ROCK - Statistics related to Arkansas teens and abuse of prescription
drugs in Arkansas:
- Arkansas is among states with the highest rates of non-medical use
of pain relievers among 12- to 25-year-olds. (U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services)
- 22 percent of Arkansas high school students say they've abused
prescription drugs by the time they're seniors. (Arkansas Present Needs
Assessment, 2008)
- Arkansas sixth-graders abuse more prescription drugs than any other
substance except alcohol and cigarettes. (Arkansas Present Needs
Assessment, 2008)
- 1 in 3 teens reports knowing someone who abuses prescription drugs.
(Partnership for A Drug Free America)
- 62 percent of teens believe most teens get drugs from their
parents' medicine cabinets and 63 percent of teens believe drugs are
easy to get from their parents' medicine cabinets, up from 56 percent
last year (2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study).
- 1 in 5 teens share their prescription drugs with friends (Join
Together, August 24, 2009)
- The Saline County Sheriff's Operation Medicine Cabinet, a program
to take back unwanted or unused prescription drugs, gathered nearly
52,000 pills in eight hours back in February.
- 33 percent of teens think "there's nothing wrong" with using
prescription drugs every once in a while. (Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration).
- Girls are more likely than boys to intentionally misuse
prescription medicine to get high (Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration).
For more information about using medicines safely with children and teens,
contact your county extension agent or visit our partners' website
www.talkaboutrx.org,
www.bemedwise.org,
http://ioit2me.com,
and
http://www.arfamilies.org/health_nutrition/podcasts/
UseMedicinesWisely_video_audio.htm.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons
regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability,
marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
March 5, 2010
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
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