SURVEY: TEENS MORE APT TO MISUSE PAINKILLERS

Cigarette smoking among teenagers is at its lowest level and the use
of illicit drugs has been declining, but continuing high rates of
abuse for prescription painkillers remain a worry, the government
reported Monday.

The decline in drug use is "quite remarkable news," Nora D. Volkow,
director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said in issuing the
agency's annual survey of drug use by children in grades 8, 10 and
12.

She added that "prescription drugs are very powerful medicines that
are effective when used properly and with a doctor's supervision.
Using these drugs without a prescription is dangerous. It's imperative
that teens get this message."

Karen P. Tandy, who heads the Drug Enforcement Administration, warned
of the increased availability of drugs.

"The drug dealers that used to be in the back alley are now in the
bedrooms of our children because they come to them through the
Internet," she said.

In the study, 9.5 percent of 12th-graders reported using the
painkiller Vicodin, and 5.5 percent reported using OxyContin in the
past year. Long-term trends show a significant increase in the abuse
of OxyContin from 2002 to 2005 among 12th-graders.

Also of concern is the significant increase in the use of sedatives
and barbiturates among 12th-graders since 2001.