Special Encore Presentation: Teen and Adolescent Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse with Guest David Sheff

Summary: Our guest today will talk about teen and adolescent prescription drug abuse, stimulant abuse, The Medicine Abuse Project, and ways the public can help. The CDC now calls prescription drug abuse an epidemic. More Americans die from drug overdoses than in car crashes, and this trend is being driven by prescription drugs. Teen prescription drug misuse and abuse is up by 33 percent since 2008. The rise is being driven by stimulants (Ritalin and Adderall). Statistics released by The Partnership at Drugfree.org show that: 1) Prescription medicines and marijuana are the most commonly abused drugs among 12 to 13-year-olds; 2) 70 percent of teens say they get the prescription medicines from family members and friends; 3) A factor that contributes to this rise is the lack of communication parents have with their children about prescription drugs; only 14 percent of teens indicated that they had discussed the misuse or abuse of any type of prescription drug with their parents.