Associated Press
Tuesday, December 20, 2005; A04

Cigarette smoking among teenagers is at its lowest level and the use of illicit drugs has been declining, but continuing high rates of abuse for prescription painkillers remain a worry, the government reported Monday.

The decline in drug use is "quite remarkable news," Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said in issuing the agency's annual survey of drug use by children in grades 8, 10 and 12.

She added that "prescription drugs are very powerful medicines that are effective when used properly and with a doctor's supervision. Using these drugs without a prescription is dangerous. It's imperative that teens get this message."

Karen P. Tandy, who heads the Drug Enforcement Administration, warned of the increased availability of drugs.

"The drug dealers that used to be in the back alley are now in the bedrooms of our children because they come to them through the Internet," she said.

In the study, 9.5 percent of 12th-graders reported using the painkiller Vicodin, and 5.5 percent reported using OxyContin in the past year. Long-term trends show a significant increase in the abuse of OxyContin from 2002 to 2005 among 12th-graders.

Also of concern is the significant increase in the use of sedatives and barbiturates among 12th-graders since 2001.