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Misuse & Abuse

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How prevalent is the problem of this misuse or abuse of drugs?

Of 150 million prescriptions written for antibiotics in the United States in 1999, about one third should have never been written.[1] That means that antibiotics are widely misused, even by medical professionals.

A 1998 survey revealed that over 20 million people over the age of 12 had used one or more psychotherapeutic drugs or analgesics for non-medical purposes at some time in their lives.[2]

During one month of 1999,

*7% of youth aged 12-17 and 21.6% of seniors in high school had smoked Marijuana

*1.9% of those aged 18-25 had used Cocaine

*2.1% seniors in high school had used Cocaine

*2.2% of seniors had used some sort of inhalants

*And in 1999, there occurred 168,763 emergency room episodes related to Cocaine.[3]

In 2000,

*Steroids use had risen among 10th grade students.[4]

[1] Saint John Times Globe back

[2] "Give 'Em the Facts: Prescription & Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse." Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) retrieved on November 28, 2001. back

[3] Illegal Drug Use Source: Health, United States: 2001 , Table 63 (All figures are for U.S.) back

[4] Zickler, Patrick. Annual Survey Finds Increasing Teen Use of Ecstasy, Steroids NIDA Notes. Volume 16, Number 2, (may 2001)l retrieved on November 28, 2001. back