Source: National Institute for Drug Abuse
After marijuana, prescription and over-the-counter medications account for most of the top drugs abused by 12th graders in the past year.
Nearly half (47%) of teens who use prescription drugs say they get them for free from a relative or friend.
More than three in five (62% or 14.6 million) teens say prescription pain relievers are easy to get from parents’ medicine cabinets; half of teens (50% or 11.9 million) say they are easy to get through other people’s prescriptions; and more than half (52% or 12.3 million) say prescription pain relievers are “available everywhere.”
The majority of teens (56% or 13.4 million) agree that prescription drugs are easier to obtain than illegal drugs. (PATS, 2006)