News Update: Illegal & Prescription Drug Abuse On the Rise in the US

“A new national survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that an estimated 22 million Americans over the age of 12 used illegal drugs in 2009. The number of Americans over the age of 12 who used illegal drugs or abused prescription medications increased from 8.0% in 2008 to 8.7% in 2009, marking the highest level since 2002. Survey respondents said marijuana use was most common, but the use of other illegal drugs was noted as well. SAMHSA officials said the increase in marijuana use is in part from the “”discussions of legalization, so-called medical marijuana and a proliferation of pro-drug messages”” which have “”misinformed about a drug whose potency has tripled in the past 20 years.”” Substance abuse among youth aged 12-17 also rose according to the survey, from 555000 in 2008 to 760000 in 2009.”
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