"Health & Medical News"

The nonmedical use of prescription-type drugs continues to be a problem among 12th? grade students, according to data from the 2007 national Monitoring the Future survey.

Fifteen percent of 12th? graders reported the nonmedical use of at least one prescription medication within the past year. Narcotic drugs, such as OxyContin? and Vicodin, were the most prevalent (9.2%), followed by amphetamines (7.5%), sedatives (6.2%), and tranquilizers (6.2%).

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The annual Monitoring the Future survey finds declining use of cigarettes and illicit drugs among 8th-graders that signifies “an ongoing cultural shift among teens and their attitudes about smoking and substance abuse,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

NIDA said that the 2007 survey found considerable declines in lifetime, past-month, and daily smoking among 8th-graders. Daily smoking rates fell to 3 percent, down from a peak of 10.4 percent in 1996.

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