Adolescents and young adults

Adolescents and young adults

Abuse of prescription drugs is
highest among young adults aged
18 to 25, with 5.9 percent reporting
nonmedical use in the past month
(NSDUH, 2010). Among youth
aged 12 to 17, 3.0 percent reported
past-month nonmedical use of
prescription medications.
According to the 2010 MTF,
prescription and OTC drugs
are among the most commonly
abused drugs by 12th graders
(see figure on page 6), after
alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco.
While past-year nonmedical use
of sedatives and tranquilizers
decreased among 12th graders
over the last 5 years, this is not
the case for the nonmedical use
of amphetamines or opioid pain
relievers.
When asked how prescription
opioids were obtained for
nonmedical use, more than half
of the 12th graders surveyed
said they were given the drugs
or bought them from a friend or