More Than A Million Americans Abuse Prescription Drugs

Nearly 1.3 million Americans 12 and older abuse prescription drugs and require treatment for their problem.Older adults, women, individuals in poor health and those who drink alcohol daily are most likely to develop a prescription drug habit. The researchers did not find a link between prescription drug abuse and use of illegal drugs like marijuana or cocaine.Seven percent of college students have used prescription stimulants for non-medical purposes over their lifetimes and 4 percent have used in the past year.The study also found that students who use prescription stimulants non-medically are more likely to abuse other substances such as alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine. Non-medical prescription stimulant users were over 20 times more likely to report cocaine use in the past year and over five times more likely to report driving after heavy drinking than college students who had not used prescription stimulants non-medically.


The study was supported by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.