Nonmedical use of prescription drugs among young people: A growing global concern
The researchers reported on data from school- and college-based surveys from Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. In the U.S., they summarized information from data collected from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. In Beirut, past-year nonmedical use of any prescription drugs was 22 percent among private university students, and 10 percent among high school students, with prescription opioids the drug of choice. ). In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a recent school-based survey showed a lifetime prevalence of 7 percent for the nonmedical use of any prescription drug. In Europe, three-quarters of overdose deaths and 3.5 percent of total deaths among 15 to 39 year olds were attributed to prescription opioids. Data from 36 countries collected as part of the most recent 2011 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs showed that, on average, 6 percent of European school students (mean age of 16 years) reported lifetime nonmedical use of tranqui...