Teens Seek High, End Up With Loathsome Effects

From the New York Daily News (March 11):

Data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, indicates teenage inhalant use is on the rise- again. Following a earlier study circulated by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America showing a reversal in a downward 10 year trend in drug use, there are a clear indicators that teenage drug use will spike in coming years. Researchers point to decreased inhibitions about drug use as the primary cause.

Surprisingly, teens are moving away from traditional illicit drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. Instead, they are developing a proclivity for inhalants which provide a cheap high- and are accessible underneath a kitchen sink. The strongest evidence shows this trend indicates more 12-year olds are using inhalants than cocaine, marijuana, and hallucinogens combined.

While the high is cheap it does not come without a price. “You have young people developing dementia, having hallucinations, walking into things,” a health and wellness university professor says, “not to mention feelings of agitation and anxiety and poor judgment."