Prescription drug abuse is the Nation's fastest-growing drug problem, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified prescription drug abuse as an epidemic. While there has been a marked decrease in the use of some illegal drugs, national data show that 1 in 4 people aged 12 and over who used drugs for the first time in 2010 started by using a prescription drug non-medically. Some individuals who misuse prescription drugs, believe they are safer than illicit drugs because they are prescribed and dispensed legally. Addressing this issue will help build stronger communities and allow those with substance abuse disorders to lead healthier, more productive lives. Sponsored by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Teen CYFERnet Editorial Board in collaboration with the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Presenters include: R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy; Wilson M. Compton, MD, Director, Division of Epidemiology, Services, and Prevention Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health; Elizabeth Robertson, Ph.D., Senior Advisor for Prevention Research, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health; and Richard Spoth, Ph.D., F. Wendell Miller Senior Prevention Scientist and Director, Partnerships in Prevention Science Institute, Iowa State University.
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