Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs: The Wrong Kind of Friends-and-Family Plan

Results from the 2008 Monitoring the Future survey — an annual, nationally representative in-school survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders — were recently released. In analyses of data from more than 46,000 students in 386 secondary schools, nonmedical use of prescription drugs (defined as use of a prescription drug without a doctor’s order) remained as high as it has been since 2002. Across the three grades, 2% to 5% of students reported OxyContin use, 3% to 10% Vicodin use, 4% to 7% amphetamines, and 2% to 6% tranquilizers during the past year. These percentages generally have held steady since 2002.

In 2007, researchers added questions to the survey about how prescription drugs were obtained without a doctor’s order; students could cite mu…