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Why Do Teenagers Abuse Prescription Drugs in America?

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Why Do Teenagers Abuse Prescription Drugs in America?
Why do Teenagers Abuse Prescription Drugs in America? What do we think when we know that the use of illicit drugs in America has been decreasing over the past decade? Should this be a bad thing or a good thing? Generally, people would think this is good and that our nation is certainly progressing as a whole. But to be honest, how is it possible to have this sort of decrease in a free will country such as America. The answer to this is the new era of drugs. Prescription drugs are the reason why the use of illegal drugs such as marihuana, cocaine, heroin, crack and inhalants has decreased in the last decade. Teenagers are finding new ways to get high, unfortunately in a much more dangerous way and as addictive as illegal drugs. As a matter of a fact these drugs can contribute to lifetime health complications. Now, a question you may ask is why do teenagers abuse prescription drugs in America? In this paper, the major reasons of why this is happening will be briefly discussed. Although the abuse of prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes has been a concern for past decades, the recent drastic increase of young adolescents in America abusing these types of drugs has alarmed many. As an adolescent myself and many others that I know, most of us are always intrigued to try new things without the necessary precautions regarding the consequences. The sensation to try new stuff is a major reason why many teens are experimenting on these new types of drugs. Besides, teens believe that prescription drugs acquired from pharmacies are not as dangerous as the illegal drugs that they would normally find on the streets. Sadly, the easiest prescription drugs to find have the most hazardous effects. In addition, teens practice “pharming” (Banta, par.2). Pharming short for pharmacy or rather pharmaceutical, are outrageous parties in which young adults gather as many different prescription drugs as possible and abuse of them in order to get high. Clearly, these types of


Cited: Banta, Clayton. “Trading for a High.” Time 166.5 (2005): 35. Academic Search Complete Elliott, Eric T., et al. "Teen Prescription Drug Abuse." Clinician Reviews 18.11 (2008): 18-23. Academic Search Complete Klein, Melissa. “Rx for Trouble.” Current Health 2 32.5 (2006): 22-24. Academic Search Complete “Prescription for Danger.” Current Events 106.20 (2007): 4-5. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO Querna, Elizabeth. “The newest war on drugs.” U.S. News & World Report 138.6 (2005): 52-54. Academic Search Complete
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