10 Jul Narcotic prescription drugs are now officially the most abused dr

Narcotic prescription drugs are now officially the most abused drug (after marijuana) by high school aged youth—why do you think this is so?  What sociological factors are influencing this epidemic?  They are killing ~10 people a day in my home state of Florida alone, and deaths from prescription drugs have doubled in Colorado over the last decade, yet people seem to still presume they are safe for them, even though the average street sample of heroin now clocks in weaker than Oxycontin!  After all, these prescription drugs have certainly been around for a long time, so why have they become so popular now, with this generation?  Do you think it’s notable that millennial’s drug use habits seem to have focused on quasi-legal substances (prescription pills, alcohol binging, steroids) which carry lesser criminal consequences than other drugs (LSD, cocaine, MDMA), but which may carry more overall physical/addictive risk to the user?  Even though some of these pills are as strong/stronger than heroin, do they receive the same social stigma for use that heroin carries?  Have you witnessed individuals start by using opiate pills, but then move on to heroin?  Those of you that have been prescribed them before, were you tempted to try taking more than what was suggested to feel the effects stronger, or to mix alcohol with them; or do you know individuals that do?  Regarding the extra reading on diversion, did people inquire about buying your leftover meds off of you, or have you seen that in practice with others?  What have your experiences been like with opiates in general, including heroin?