More Than 75% Of High School Heroin Users Started With Prescription Opioids

(Forbes, Dec. 7) A new study shows that more than 75 percent of high school students who use heroin began with prescription meds. The study, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, looked at data from the annual Monitoring the Future survey that showed students who were hooked on prescription painkilleres moving onto heroin because their access to the pills diminished. About 25 percent of students who took prescription pills more than 40 times went onto use heroin. Experts say the perception of a pill, prescribed by a doctor and easily accessible in their homes, is that it's safer than using a street drug. READ MORE.