Myth 10 – Marijuana is the Fastest Growing Drug
While nearly every study concludes that marijuana is the most used drug, it is not the fastest growing drug.
The fastest growing abused drugs in the United States and the world are prescription drugs. Prescription drugs include narcotics, depressants, and stimulants and are made up of such drugs as Valium, Xanax, Ritalin, Sanorex, Adderall, OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Hydrocodone, Demerol, Codeine, etc.
Prescription drugs have risen in abuse exponentially over the last decade in relation to all other drugs. It is estimated that almost 30 million people in the United States – 13% of the U.S. population – have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons. And of these individuals over 1.5 million individuals are dependent on prescription drugs. It is likely safe to say that prescription drug abuse is (or is becoming) an epidemic in the United States!
Many people start off by getting prescription drugs for valid reasons, such as to combat pain from an injury. Others get prescription meds from friends, family, and others to help them sleep, stay awake, or just get high. Depending on a person’s genetic makeup, a person can become dependent on a particular prescription med after just one use! And over time, it is easy to become dependent on prescription meds.
Further, prescription drugs can be very unsafe when not used for proper medical reasons. Users can be allergic to a particular prescription med which could quickly cause death.
Finally, we’ll conclude this article with some key points to remember.