Posted on Apr 15, 2022
As fatal drug overdoses rise among teenagers, is U.S. drug education working?
1.03K
37
12
16
16
0
Teen overdose deaths spiked in 2020 and 2021, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The deaths are not a result of more experimentation with drugs: Federal data show that overall teen drug use has been falling.
The deaths are not a result of more experimentation with drugs: Federal data show that overall teen drug use has been falling.
As fatal drug overdoses rise among teenagers, is U.S. drug education working?
Posted from wbur.org
Drugs
Children
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 6
7
7
0
7
7
0
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."They are fueled instead by a rise in synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, illicit drugs more powerful and deadlier than heroin. Synthetic opioids are becoming more common in pills bought off the street, and teenagers are feeling the impact.
Joseph Friedman, a public health researcher at the University of California and lead author of the JAMA study, says U.S. drug education programs that focus on abstinence do not prepare children to stay alive in the face of a changing drug supply.
Parents and teachers should tell kids that abstinence — or at least delaying drug use until their 20s — is the best option, he says. But they should present that along with other, realistic information about how to experiment safely with substances."...
..."They are fueled instead by a rise in synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, illicit drugs more powerful and deadlier than heroin. Synthetic opioids are becoming more common in pills bought off the street, and teenagers are feeling the impact.
Joseph Friedman, a public health researcher at the University of California and lead author of the JAMA study, says U.S. drug education programs that focus on abstinence do not prepare children to stay alive in the face of a changing drug supply.
Parents and teachers should tell kids that abstinence — or at least delaying drug use until their 20s — is the best option, he says. But they should present that along with other, realistic information about how to experiment safely with substances."...
(7)
(0)
3
3
0
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google