Only 6 Percent Of Parents Worried About Teen RX Drug Abuse

Teen RX Drug Abuse

A scant 6 percent of parents are concerned about their children abusing prescription drugs.

With statistics showing at least three students in every high school classroom abusing prescription drugs, parents cannot afford to underestimate this threat or leave prescription drug abuse out of conversations when talking to their kids about drugs.

The survey, conducted by national polling firm RT Strategies on August 2- 5, 2007, polled 1,000 adults nationwide as part of Project 7th Grade and First Check's Back to School campaign.

"As parents across the country prepare to send their teens back to school, they must be aware of the potential dangers their children will likely encounter during the school year," said Debbie Moak, co-founder of Project 7th Grade and notMYkid. "The good news is that we are seeing a decrease in the use of some traditionally popular illicit drugs. The bad news is that teens' use and abuse of easily accessible prescription drugs continues to grow at an alarming rate -- yet parents aren't concerned about that threat.

"We must raise awareness of these drug trends so parents realize that talking to their kids about drug abuse and prevention before heading back to school is on par with buying school supplies -- both are necessary and will lay the foundation for a successful and healthy school year," continued Moak.

Key findings of the survey include:

-- Two-thirds of parents believe their children will first be exposed to drugs between the ages of 10 and 15.

-- Close to 75 percent of respondents believe that drug testing of teens should be the responsibility of parents.

-- Over 70 percent of parents say they have not purchased a home drug test kit because they have not had the need.