The NPR (11/12, Korry) “Shots” blog reports that “an estimated 2.2 million adolescents – 8.8 percent of youth aged 12 to 17 years old – are currently using an illicit drug, according to a 2014 Behavioral Health Barometer prepared for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).” Illicit “drug use changes brain development, and when substances are used during adolescence, young people are much more likely to become addicted…said” John Knight, MD, founder and director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at Boston Children’s Hospital. “If we could only get kids to postpone their first drink or their first use of drugs, we could greatly diminish the prevalence of addiction in the US,” Dr. Knight said.
Related Links:
— “To Prevent Addiction In Adults, Help Teens Learn How To Cope,” Elaine Korry, National Public Radio, November 13, 2015.