July 8, 2010
Updated Jul 8, 2010 at 4:03 PM EDT
According to the Partnership for a Drug Free America, the use of illegal drugs, like heroin, meth, and cocaine, is going down. What's going up is the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. As those numbers continue to grow, so do the number of emergency room visits and deaths. The Partnership for a Drug Free America says one in five teenagers is abusing prescription medicine, spurring an epidemic.
Experts say parents need to explain that medicine can heal, but when abused it can lead to brain damage, addiction, even death. They also say that the best way to keep prescription drugs out of the hands of teens is to lock them up.
