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Teens Turn to Cough Medicine for New Way to Get High Teen abuse of prescription and over-the-counter medicines has become entrenched in teen culture. Nearly one in five teenagers report abusing prescription medications, while one in 10 say they have abused cough medicine to get high. A new study by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the MetLife Foundation finds that more than a third of teens and their parents think misuse of legally prescribed pain-killers is safer than abuse of illicit street drugs. Just Think Twice, a video websites produced by the Drug Enforcement Administration offers the facts through black humor--a cartoon character experiences the consequences of abusing cough medicine. The video is gross at times--projectile vomiting, belching, hallucinations--but the message resonates with teenagers: "make up your own mind about cough medicine." Lodges that maintain websites should consider linking to the DEA site. Included are games plus a lot of graphic visuals, with teenagers telling their stories about what happened when they or friends were introduced to such drugs as steroids, meth and marijuana. The address is: www.justthinktwice.com
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