WASHINGTON - More teens are smoking dope, with nearly 1 in 10 lighting up at least 20 or more times a month, according to a new survey of young people. The report by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, being released today, also said abuse of prescription medicine may be easing a bit among young people in grades 9 through 12, but it still remains high. Partnership president Steve Pasierb said the mind-set among parents is that it's just a little weed or a few pills - no biggie. [continues 365 words]
Washington, D.C. - Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday. A teen who has been depressed at some point in the past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have not reported being depressed - 25 percent compared with 12 percent, said the report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Marijuana is a more consequential substance of abuse than our culture has treated it in the last 20 years," said John Walters, director of the office. "This is not just youthful experimentation that they'll get over as we used to think in the past." [continues 287 words]
When 16-year-old David Manlove left his home in June 2001, he told his mother he was going to swim at a friend's house. He didn't tell her what else they planned to do. He and a friend purchased a can of computer duster and "huffed" it while they swam. David inhaled the fumes and dove under water to intensify the high. He didn't surface. By the time his mother Marissa arrived at the pool, he was in cardiac arrest. [continues 316 words]
WASHINGTON - President Bush's national anti-drug strategy, released today, for the first time targets the use of pain relievers, sedatives and stimulants for nonmedical purposes, a problem that has exploded in the last decade. A key part of the new strategy involves government efforts to help states develop monitoring systems to track a patient's use of prescription medicine. The monitoring programs flag cases that indicate a pattern of abuse, such as "doctor shopping," where a patient gets prescriptions for drugs from multiple physicians. [continues 499 words]
WASHINGTON -- Kate Patton had never heard of Ecstasy before the night of Nov. 14, 1999. That's when two police officers came to her home in suburban Chicago to tell her that her 23-year-old daughter, Kelley, was dead. She had overdosed on Ecstasy. Patton joined anti-drug advocates Thursday at a news conference announcing new TV, radio, newspaper and Internet ads aimed at encouraging parents to talk to their children about Ecstasy - known as the "Hug Drug," "X" or "E." [continues 308 words]
WASHINGTON - Kate Patton had never heard of Ecstasy before the night of Nov. 14, 1999. That's when two police officers came to her home in suburban Chicago to tell her that her 23-year-old daughter, Kelley, was dead. She had overdosed on Ecstasy. Patton joined anti-drug advocates Thursday at a news conference announcing new TV, radio, newspaper and Internet ads aimed at encouraging parents to talk to their children about Ecstasy - known as the "Hug Drug," "X" or "E." [continues 308 words]
Survey: Kids At Smaller Schools Less At Risk WASHINGTON - A survey of American children and parents released Tuesday found a mix of three factors in abundance for many youths can lead to substance abuse: boredom, stress and extra money. The annual study by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse also found students attending smaller schools or religious schools are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Joseph Califano Jr., the center's chairman and president, said 13.8 million teens, about 55 percent of all, are at moderate or high risk of substance abuse. [continues 527 words]
Boredom, Extra Money, Stress Contribute To Risk, Researchers Say WASHINGTON - A survey of American children and parents released Tuesday found a mix of three ingredients in abundance for many kids can lead to substance abuse: boredom, stress and extra money. The annual study by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse also found students attending smaller schools or religious schools are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Joseph Califano Jr., the center's chairman and president, said 13.8 million teens -- about 55 percent of all kids -- are at moderate or high risk of substance abuse. [continues 247 words]
WASHINGTON - A survey of American children and parents released Tuesday found a mix of three ingredients in abundance for many kids can lead to substance abuse: boredom, stress and extra money. The annual study by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse also found students attending smaller schools or religious schools are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Joseph Califano Jr., the center's chairman and president, said 13.8 million teens - about 55 percent of all kids - are at moderate or high risk of substance abuse. [continues 540 words]
WASHINGTON -- A survey of American children and parents released Tuesday found a mix of three ingredients in abundance for many kids can lead to substance abuse: boredom, stress and extra money. The annual study by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse also found students attending smaller schools or religious schools are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Joseph Califano Jr., the center's chairman and president, said 13.8 million teens - about 55 percent of all kids - are at moderate or high risk of substance abuse. [continues 538 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A survey of American children and parents released yesterday found a mix of three ingredients in abundance for many kids can lead to substance abuse: boredom, stress and extra money. The annual study by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse also found that students attending smaller schools or religious schools are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Joseph Califano Jr., the center's chairman and president, said 13.8 million teens -- about 55 percent of all kids -- are at moderate or high risk of substance abuse. [continues 412 words]
WASHINGTON -- A survey of American children and parents released yesterday found a mix of three ingredients in abundance for many young people can lead to substance abuse: boredom, stress, and extra money. The annual study by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse also found students attending smaller schools or religious schools are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Joseph Califano Jr., the center's chairman and president, said 13.8 million teens -- about 55 percent of all youngsters -- are at moderate or high risk of substance abuse. [continues 341 words]
WASHINGTON -- If kids watch them often enough, ads warning about the dangers of smoking pot or taking Ecstacy can persuade them to stay away from drugs, according to a study released by an advocacy group Thursday. A survey of teens conducted for the Partnership for a Drug Free America found kids who see or hear anti-drug ads at least once a day are less likely to do drugs than youngsters who don't see or hear ads frequently. Teens who got a daily dose of the anti-drug message were nearly 40 percent less likely to try methamphetamine and about 30 percent less likely to use Ecstacy, the study found. When asked about marijuana, kids who said they saw the ads regularly were nearly 15 percent less likely to smoke pot. [continues 298 words]
