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Prescription pills speech
David Kolker

Prescription Medication Speech
A growing trend not only in our local community, but also the whole United States is the abuse of prescriptions medications. The drugs are readily accessible in every household and legal prescribed by doctors. Prescription pill abuse is commonly looked as safe however is now one of the leading causes of crime in our community.
According to research done by the Foundation for a Drug Free World, in youth ranging in age from 12 to 17, 50% of teens believe that prescription drugs are much safer than illegal street drugs, such as cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. Of the youth surveyed 60% to 70% say that home medicine cabinets are their source of drugs. The average age of a first time user is 13 to 14 years old.

One of the main reasons this has become a growing issue in our community is the lack of education for our youth. Due to hard economic times, our school systems have had to cut several programs within their schools systems. The school drug education programs were not only cut from the schools, they have never been updated. This is largely due to the lack of funds and fast onset of this drug abuse epidemic. Prescription medications are believed to be safer then street drugs. Once again this is due the lack of education on these pills.

Opioid drugs are the most commonly abused of prescription drugs. This category consists of the Oxycontin, Vicodin, and Percocet, which are prescribed for severe physical pain. They are abuse due to the feeling of euphoria, sedating, and numbing. The medication is forms dependence and the withdrawals are severe.
The second category is depressants such as Xanax and Valium. These are prescribed to treat anxiety and sleep disorders. They are abuse for their sedating properties. Once again this medication can cause tolerance and dependence, which the withdrawal symptoms can be severe.

The last category is stimulants such as Ritalin and Dexedrine. These are prescribed to

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