A newly released survey of U.S. high school students by the University of Michigan Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking, and Health suggests that the use of illicit prescription drugs by this age group is falling dramatically.
Eleven percent of high school seniors reported using these drugs in 2009. As of 2022 (the latest year the data is available), the percentage had fallen to 2% – an 81% decline.
Three classes of commonly misused prescription drugs were tracked for the study—opioids, stimulants like Ritalin, and tranquilizers like Xanax.
The team found that legitimate medical use of these drugs had also declined, with fewer teens being prescribed these drugs in the first place.
What’s happening to change drug use patterns?
It appears that changes in prescribing practices may be helping – making it harder for teens to obtain these drugs.
Teens who misused illicit prescription drugs in 2009 said they had gotten them most often from a friend and that they had multiple sources.
As of 2022, 37% admit to only misusing drugs they were personally prescribed.
In 2022, 49% of teens also stated that obtaining illicit prescription drugs was now impossible – up from 36% who said that in 2009.
Other factors at play
The research team notes that because of the opioid abuse epidemic, parents are more aware of the potential for misusing prescription medications and are safeguarding those drugs differently. They also admit that school closures during the COVID pandemic, briefly limiting student-to-student contact, may have contributed to the drop in use because opportunities to sell or give away these drugs were limited for a time.
Still, the news is hopeful. We hope the trend continues.
