MICHIGAN, December 20 – It seems as though the big guns are gaining popularity among teens. In a recent survey held by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the University of Michigan.
The survey showed that the decline of smoking, which progressed quickly every year, has come to a stop. Probable causes for this is the decrease of government and state funds for prevention of smoking and a big increase, record breaking even, among cigarette manufacturers. Still the 23% of high school seniors smoking is considerably less than the 40% rate of 1976. In comparison with last year there was almost no difference among teenagers.
Strangely enough, and very alerting, the use of prescription painkillers increased rapidly. Painkillers like Oxycontin and Vicodin are popular among teenagers and given the addictive nature of these drugs that’s an extremely worrying development.
Illegal drugs, with marijuana as frontrunner, have been declining also, with just a very modest decline in the upper grades. All in all about every form of drug use either decline or leveled out except for prescription painkillers.
