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Prescription drug abuse grows in U.S.
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| Contributor | The Sunset Provision |
| Last Edited | The Sunset Provision Sep 06, 2007 06:08pm |
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| Category | Report |
| Media | Website - Yahoo News |
| News Date | Friday, September 7, 2007 12:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | More young U.S. adults are abusing prescription medications, particularly painkillers, according to the government's annual report on substance abuse released on Thursday.
Overall, in 2006, 22.6 million people -- 9.2 percent of Americans ages 12 and up -- either abused or were addicted to drugs or alcohol in the prior year, according to estimates in the report from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
That is up slightly from an estimated 22.2 million people, or 9.1 percent of the population, in last year's report.
The 2006 report found that non-medical use of prescription drugs, mostly pain relievers, among young adults increased from 5.4 percent in 2002 to 6.4 percent in 2006.
"The abuse of prescription drugs for non-medical reasons is of increasing concern," agency chief Terry Cline said in a statement.
"These are potent drugs that can have serious and life-threatening consequences if misused. Parents in particular need to be aware of this problem and take steps to prevent these medications from falling into the wrong hands," Cline added.
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