Almost everyone has had some experience with drugs - nicotine, caffeine and alcohol are among the legal favorites and many young adults experiment in the illegal realms of drug culture at some point.
The most recent popular drugs, however, are not supplied by Starbucks or your local peace-loving stoner; they're acquired at your friendly neighborhood pharmacy. Sure, there has always been a pill-popping "Valley of the Dolls" subculture lurking in every medium to large-sized city, but prescription drug use is now on the rise everywhere, including college campuses.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over the past decade-and-a-half, the number of teen and young adults, ages 12 to 25, abusing prescription painkillers has grown from 400,000 in the mid-eighties to two million in 2000.
It seems that the dangers of prescription drug abuse are either unknown or highly underrated. I recently heard a young college-age woman attempt to rationalize her prescription drug use by saying, "It's not like I'm taking cocaine or crack - it's OK, these are pharmaceutical drugs made by professionals who know what they are doing." Despite how clueless that comment sounds, in a way, she is correct - in fact, these drug companies make such good drugs that people quickly become highly addicted to them.
It's true the U.S. Food and Drug Administration must approve both the safety and effectiveness of a drug before it is available to patients, a comforting luxury not afforded to street-level buyers.
Another underrated but crucial step in drug safety is having a certified medical doctor examine you and prescribe the drug. Drugs affect everyone differently. Just like alcohol or coffee, some people are more sensitive to it than others. Also, prescription drug dosages vary from person to person, as do the results. For people who are not accustomed to certain dosages the results can be risky and sometimes fatal.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration unveiled findings in 2004 that showed nearly 1.3 million emergency department visits associated with drug abuse. One-quarter of these visits involved only prescription or over the counter medications, eight percent involved both illicit drugs and pharmaceuticals and 14 percent involved illicit drugs, pharmaceuticals and alcohol, all in the same individual.
So why are college kids so easygoing about prescription drugs?
Well, they are convenient, relatively inexpensive and the boom in the pharmaceutical industry has helped ensure college students have a friend who always has bottle of Ritalin, a central nervous system stimulant often prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Vicodin, a common painkiller prescribed for moderate to severe pain.
For some people these drugs are prescribed on a purely professional basis for a disease, injury or chemical malfunction and are used responsibly, but this is not always the case.
According to Dailycampus.com, Ritalin is often used as a study aid for college students cramming for tests and exams. Students usually become dependant on the stimulant before realizing the harmful side effects which may include addiction, seizures and increased heart rate.
There have even been some cases where addiction to drugs such as the infamous Oxycontin, a synthetic heroin, has led students to purchase the cheaper alternative: street heroin.
That's an extreme case, but it does highlight the fact that taking your friends' prescription drugs is not a safe alternative to buying cocaine from a drug dealer.
There is little education in schools about prescription drugs, especially considering how powerful the pharmaceutical industry is, so don't assume a label on a bottle will tell you everything you need to know. Professional pharmacists and drug makers may know what they are doing -¡- but you don't.
July Lam is a senior journalism major and writes 'Stick That In Your Pipe and Smoke It' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to July at jrlam@bsu.edu.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
