Teen usage of drugs; what's growing in your area?

[ruby0711]

I have just recently volunteered for my town to educate the community on current trends in teen drug use. I am going to be talking to the local officers in my area prior to doing any presentations; however I wanted to get an idea from those in the know outside of my little town.

My current research I will be using stemmed from McClean Hospital in Mass, but these are scientists who..well, aren't on the 'front lines' so to speak.

I am looking for the reality of rural America, I am finding that the parents of 'small town USA' suffer from 'notmykiditis', and our youth coalition is trying to drive a message home to the parents.

I know, it sounds impossible, but we are trying.

This also gives my brain something to do while I recover from surgery...:mad:

So, with that said, I would love to hear what is the up and coming drug of choice among your youth.

Please PM me if you have some good ideas on how to get a message across...

In the meantime, here is a poll...

If I have missed something, or there are new drugs that should be talked about, please let me know.

THANKS in advance!!

[Johninaustin]

"X"and Xanax is all the current rage. You can get either off anyone under 18 constantly. It's more common than marijuana sometimes.

I'm starting to think they sell Xanax in bubblegum machines.:rolleyes:

[jmac_52]

Down here the rage seems to be for crack, meth, and oxycontin.

[Jay7376]

All the kiddies are sharing adderall this week

[Hockey9019]

Around here, mj and meth are a problem around here a bit. Meth has dropped from what they were before.

Where I lived prior to here (metro Detroit), prescription/non prescription meds was a BIG problem. That and mj too. Rarely hear about heroin or crack unless your in the inner city of Flint/Saginaw.

Alcohol...well its alcohol. But for some reason, its abused more down near Metro Detroit and or Flint/Saginaw

[greg72982]

crack is the new heroin...

[nadler20]

Unfortunately, marijuana and alcohol are always going to be prevalent among the younger circles of drug abusers, but more and more the abuse of prescription narcotics is becoming a staple for youth drug users. It seems as though it gets easier and easier to obtain these substances. Either parents are suffering from the aforementioned "notmykiditis" and leave thier percoset/vicodin/xanax lying around where it's easily accessible, or the kids go to the doctor with some BS complaint of hitting their funnny bone and the Dr. hands them pain relievers like candy, with an additional 5 refills. :rolleyes:

It's just as important to involve the possible enablers as the kids who use in drug education programs. The kids aren't just pulling the pills out of a magic hat; they have to get them from somewhere.

Also I saw something about kids getting these prescription drugs from the internet. Personally I don't know of anyone who has used this method, so I can't say a whole lot about it, but it is definitely something that should be looked into.

Good luck with the presentation and have a speedy recovery ;)

[Cat_Doc]

Methamphetamine is the the drug touched by Satan's finger.

This is by far the biggest problem drug in my area. There may very well be, and probably is, more teens using marijuana, but it does not even approach the public safety issues of meth.

[oscarmitre]

In my part of Australia it's alcohol (the age limit for alcohol is 18) and Ice. Here our pubs can open 24 hours a day 7 days a week (not Good Friday though). The alcohol companies deliberately market alcohol to teens but it seems that teenage binge drinking has become so bad now that even they are backing off the advertising. As you might imagine this is creating a huge workload for police.

As for Ice, it's widely available and widely used but it seems to be a certain subset of young people who use it. There is more alcohol than Ice use but of course Ice creates massive problems both in health and public order areas.

[jarobins]

In the Appalachian areas of Virginia, West Virginia, Tenn, Kentucky, and North Carolina the predominant drug of choice among adults, teens, and even pre-teens is any pill/tablet with hydrocodone - Lortab, Vicodin, and Norco. We still have a large amount of OxyContin abuse, but the prices tend to be too high for the average high-school kid. Hydrocodone ("tabs") are generally more affordable and also more readily available.

Among adults, drug(s) of abuse varies based on geography and race. I cover a fifteen county area so I see nearly everything almost daily with the exception of LSD and PCP. This week alone we seized heroin, Oxys, hydrocodone, marijuana, morphine, crack, powder cocaine, meth, and a variety of other pills. Although, one of the newest drugs we are seeing on a daily basis is Suboxone (buprenonorphine) which ironically is used to treat opioid dependence.

[Darin]

Just like jrobins, the teen drug "fad" in my area is pills and predominately hydrocodone. Pharm parties is the rage. Yesterday I charged a juvenile with distribution of hydrocodone.

[CCBlueMan]

Perscription meds of any kind are pretty hot in the schools right now.

[patchcop]

In my PCT marijuana and alcohol is great for the kids. When they become 15 and older amphetamine (meth?) will be their friend. Again a few years later, cocaine and heroin will make them living deaths. Polytoxicomanics are all around here.:mad: And the bad justice system let the dealers walk as free men after we bust them:mad::mad:. In three hrs I'll be again out there for kicking a§§es:D

[ruby0711]

Thanks to all who are posting; I was pretty much figuring that prescription abuse is way on the rise on most area's.

The prescription drugs are going to be a huge focus on the presentation...parents simply do not know (or they refuse to know) that the kids are hitting mom and dad's cabinets.

My son, 17, is very honest with me, and he is telling me that pills are the 'new thing' now in the high schools....as well as heroin....which, when broken down is the same thing. No one dies of a heroin overdose, it is technically a morphine overdose as your body instantly converts heroin into morphine...

Little scary huh?

buprenonorphine does not surprise me, as it is a scheduled drug, but it has helped in people with opiate addiction...

I came across a very scary website on how to use Duregisic patches recreationaly...damn, this stuff is nearly 100 X's more potent than Morphine....

Thanks to all, and your being very helpfull...

[7mmMag]

Prescription Drugs, plain and simple.