The Changing Face of Teenage Drug Abuse — The Trend toward Prescription Drugs

When Eric, an 18-year-old who lives in San Francisco, wants to get some Vicodin (hydrocodone–acetaminophen), it's a simple matter. “I can get prescription drugs from different places and don't ever have to see a doctor,” he explained. “I have friends whose parents are pill addicts, and we `borrow' from them. Other times I have friends who have ailments who get lots of pills and sell them for cheap. As long as prescription pills are taken right, they're much safer than street drugs.”Eric's habits reflect an emerging pattern in drug use by teenagers: illicit street drugs such as “ecstasy” (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) . . .