Because prescription drugs are legal, teens mistakenly think they are safe, a former DEA agent said.
MONSON – Marijuana remains the drug of choice among teens, but prescription pills are catching up in popularity, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent said at the “Substance Abuse Awareness Night” presented by the Monson Public Schools on Tuesday.
“I’m a parent of two teens. I’m worried about everything, just like you are,” speaker Tina A. Murphy, a retired special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration, told the crowd.
Murphy said marijuana is the most widely abused drug, and that kids unfortunately have the philosophy that “it’s not a big deal,” a sentiment often shared by their parents.
“Parents say, ‘Thank God he’s not using coke,’ or ‘Thank God he’s not using heroin,’” Murphy said.
But she said marijuana is still dangerous – it slows reaction time, and is a “gateway drug,” leading to more dangerous illicit substances.
“Marijuana is a drug. It is illegal,” she said.
Decriminalization of marijuana in 2009 has helped fuel the “not a big deal” attitude, she said. Anyone caught with an ounce or less has to pay a $100 fine, but they are spared arrest.
Murphy talked about the “changing landscape of drug abuse.” She said teens think because prescription drugs are legal, they must be safe. Prescription drug abuse is second only to marijuana abuse among teens, Murphy said. Kids will raid their parents’ medicine cabinets for the drugs.
“You are the drug dealer now,” Murphy told the audience.
She said many parents keep old medication, thinking they might need it again someday.
“If a pill or two is missing, would you know that? You need to safeguard them,” Murphy said.
She talked about the dangers of Oxycontin, a potent and highly addictive painkiller she described as “legal heroin.” It’s also expensive, and once teens get hooked, they often resort to heroin, which is considerably cheaper and widely available, to achieve the same high. Now parents have a child who was once a “good kid” breaking into homes to feed a drug habit – a “good kid who made a mistake,” she said.
Murphy encouraged parents to go into their children’s rooms and look for anything unusual. A syringe or razor blade may not be the clues to a drug problem, but bottles of cold medicine, such as Robitussin, might be. She said Robitussin abusers will drink the entire bottle to get high.
She encouraged parents to dispose of medications properly. On April 30, old prescriptions will be collected from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hampden Senior Center, Belchertown town common and Ludlow Town Hall. A list of collection sites can be found at www.dea.gov
High School Principal Andrew Linkenhoker was pleased with the turnout, which included approximately 60 parents and students. He said it would be a disservice to ignore the problem of drugs. There have been two marijuana possession incidents at the high school this year, he said.
According to a recent youth behavior risk survey, 12 percent of all Monson High School students have had at least one alcoholic drink in the past month, 8 percent have tried marijuana and 3 percent have tried another illegal substance in their lifetime.