More on prescription drug abuse

More on prescription drug abuseAs I've posted before in DTC blowback, the younger generation is more apt than earlier ones to abuse prescription drugs. At the high school level it's now easier to get a dose of the benzodiazepine Klonopin than to buy alcohol, and that's causing trouble. See A new choice in drug abuse. (A spokesman for the maker of Klonopin conveniently claims not to be aware of its use by teenagers.)When I was in high school, the kids I knew who abused prescription drugs had parents with a wide array of drugs in their homes for their own use. That appears to be the pattern today,

''A lot of families in the suburbs have good medical care and will oftentimes have these drugs in their medicine cabinets," [a coordinator of New Bedford's antidrug student assistance program] said. ''With kids, availability and ease of use are two key factors when kids are using drugs. Klonopin doesn't smell, but you can still be high on it. And if there is a network of people selling these things, it's easy access."

By the way, don't you love the definition of "good medical care?"Another thing that hasn't changed is for teenagers to blame their problems on the suburban lifestyle:

A senior at Arlington High, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said prescription drug abuse seems to be on the rise at his school and others... He believes the reason prescription drug abuse is popular is because there is little for teenagers to do in Arlington. Kids get sick of going to the movies or out to dinner, he said.

How profound.