Prescription drugs are also illegal

In an article, by Vilma Sceusa, from the garden city.patch.com about the rising issue of illegal drugs being easily accessible among teenagers is present. She points out that just because the prescription drug is legal for family member and/or a friend does not mean that the same drug is legal for others to take. 

"Many people don't realize that using prescription drugs is just as illegal as street drugs."

 Some of the drugs that are being frequently used among teenagers include OxyContin, Xanax and Ritalin. However, teenagers are not just using prescription drugs, they are also using over the counter drugs including cough medicine. 


Sceusa mentions a couple ways to help prevent the second leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States. One of the way includes talking to your children about the drugs, before the age of 12. Communication is key, because many kids stated they would stray away from the drugs if their parents showed a strong disapproval. Another way that was noted is to lock the medicine away, that way it is not as easily accessible. Lastly, to deal with this issue the next step is legislation created among elected officials and carrying it out by law enforcement. 


It is also very interesting to see that the article made this a social problem that needs to be fixed at all levels of society, not just among teenagers with the problem. The parents and the elected officials need to be actively involve to solve this issue. Lastly the social institution of physicians should also have pressures put on them, therefore prescriptions are not new tossed around by teenagers. 


While this article may be written for the state of New York, it is of equal value to the state of South Carolina. This phenomenon is also evident among the youth of this state and information needs to be spread to keep others informed. The problem is amplified when teenagers are mixing these drugs with alcohol, which is a huge issue in the state. The issue of alcohol is for another discussion but it agains shows that drugs and alcohol are a huge problem among the youth of this state. Therefore blogs like this help to keep the state informed and help friends and family to help prevent issues.