80% of High Schoolers, 44% of Middle Schoolers see Drugs Used, Kept, Sold, Classmates Drunk, High on school grounds. (source: National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XII: Teens and Parents 12th annual back to school survey conducted by CASA at Columbia University )
There are approximately 24,000 annual fatal unintentional drug poisonings in the United States. (Sources: William J. Bennett, first U.S. Drug Czar; former Secretary of Education. Janet Froetscher, President and CEO, National Safety Council, Itasca, Ill. national Safety Council Congress and Expo, Anaheim, Ca. Sept. 019-26, 2008.)
Drug overdose deaths are second only to car crashes for unintentional injury deaths. (Source: CDC, 2008) Deaths are largely due to misuse and abuse of prescription drugs. Majority of deaths more than one drug is found. (Source: Leonard J. Paulozzi, M.D., M.P.H., Medical Epidemiologist National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
1.5 million Hospital Emergency Room Visits are attributed to drug misuse or overdose. (Source: Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), 2006 National ED Estimates)
Every day 2,500 teens in the United States try prescription drugs to get high for the first time. (Source: Partnership for a Drug Free America)
60% of teens who have abused prescription painkillers did so before age 15. (Source: Partnership for a Drug Free America)
45% of those who use prior to the age of 15 will later develop an addiction. (Source: Misuse of Prescription Drugs. national Surveys on Drug Use and Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2006)
More than 29 percent of teens in treatment are dependent on tranquilizers, sedatives, amphetamines, and other stimulants (all types of prescription drugs). (Source: SAMHSA: substance Abuse Treatment Admissions by primary substance of abuse according to sex, age group, race, and ethnicity: Treatment Episode Data set 2004)
12 to 17 year olds abuse prescription drugs more than they abuse ecstasy, crack/cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine combined. (Source: Partnership for a Drug Free America)
There are as many new abusers age 12 to 17 of prescription drugs as there are of marijuana (Source: Partnership for a Drug Free America)
Nearly half (49%) of all college students either binge drink, use illicit drugs or misuse prescription drugs. (Source: Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University)
The average age of first use is 12.4 years old. (Source: Florida Youth Survey 2008)
Forty-five percent of those who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 14 become alcohol dependent at some time in their lives, compared with 10% of those who wait at least until age 21. (Source: Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine)
Depending on the type of medication, mixing with alcohol can cause: increased risk for overdose, fainting, changes in blood pressure, difficulty breathing, liver damage, stomach bleeding, blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, increased risk of seizures, death. (Source: NIAAA. Harmful Interactions Mixing Alcohol with Medicines, 2007)
Combing alcohol with anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications can cause: increased risk of overdose, increased feelings of depression or hopelessness, and suicide in adolescents. (Source: NIAA. Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines, 2007)
More teens are in treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined. (Source: Treatment Episodes Data Set (TEDS) 1992-2002, SAMHSA, 2004)
Teens age 12 to 17 who regularly smoke marijuana were shown to be three times more likely than non-users to have suicidal thoughts. (Source: Greenblatt, J. Adolescent self-reported behaviors and their association with marijuana use, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 1998)
Smoking can kill you. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. More than 440,000 Americans die from tobacco-related causes each year, most of whom began using tobacco before the age of 18. (Source: NIDA Info Facts: Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products, 2008)
Smoking puts your friends and family at risk. Each year approximately 3,000 non-smokers die of lung cancer from second-hand smoke. (Source: NIDA. Research Report Series - Tobacco Addiction, 2006)
