By the 8th grade, 52% of adolescents have

consumed alcohol, 41% have smoked

cigarettes, and 20% have used marijuana.

Sources:

National Institute on Drug Abuse

Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base Prescription for Danger

Alcohol kills 6.5 times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined.

Traffic crashes are the greatest single cause of death for all persons age 6–33. About 45% of these fatalities are alcohol-related crashes.

More than 60% of teens said that drugs were sold, used, or kept at their school.

America’s relationship with Drugs

• Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug.

• Other common drugs that are used by American youth include, inhalants, illegal-prescription drugs ( pain killers etc.), cocaine, heroin, and crystal meth.

Cocaine

• A potent stimulant that is often snorted through the nose and absorbed into the bloodstream.

• Crack is a “rock form” of cocaine that is smoked. Because cocaine is a stimulant, it can cause a rise

in blood pressure, in body temperature and increase heart rate.

It is made from the coca plant which grows in South America.

Long term uses causes, coughing, respiratory problems, bleeding and can result in death.

Methamphetamine ( Meth)• Methamphetamine is a central nervous system

stimulant • Meth, Crystal, Crystal Meth, Ice• It can be injected, snorted, inhaled or swallowed, or

inserted into an orphace. • Methamphetamine is man-made in labs. (Often in peoples

homes-) • It is made from common cold medicine,

decongestant―ephedrine or pseudoephedrine• One of the main reasons that these products are

regulated at the drug store. • The chemicals used to create meth are highly flammable,

and of Meth is being created in a home, the home can often explode and cause devastation for a neighborhood.

Prescription Drugs