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CDC: Illicit Drug Use Down Among High School Students, But Still A Concern
By: Ashton Marra | StateImpact Ohio
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The national Centers for Disease Control said illicit drug use is down among the nation’s high school students, but drug use is still a concern based on findings in its latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
The CDC asked U.S. high school students if they’ve participated in activities that may negatively impact their well-being.
When it comes to drug use, the 2017 survey found less than 5 percent of the nation’s teens report ever having used drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and hallucinogens.
In a nation still being ravaged by opioids, less than 2 percent of teens report ever having used heroin, although the rates for black male students are the highest at nearly 3 percent.
When it comes to pain medication and opioids like Vicodin, OxyContin and Hydrocodone, 14 percent of teens report having taken the drugs without a prescription or differently than how a doctor had prescribed.
Rates of misuse of prescription drugs were the highest among Hispanic teens when broken down by race, and when reported by grade and sex, nearly 18 percent of 12th grade males reported misuse.