In the May 5-11^th, 2007 issue of The Lancet, Michael McCarthy tells a disturbing tale about the dramatic increase in the abuse of pharmaceutical drugs in the United States. There were 1.4 million visits to the emergency room in 2005 related to drug misuse. While illegal drug use is down, prescription and over-the-counter drug use is way up, especially among children and teens.

So why is this happening?  The pharmaceutical industry would like you to believe that it is due to the easy access people have to these drugs via internet drugstores. While this is certainly a reason why teens can get the supplies, I believe that it is in large part due to the excessive advertising of drugs on television. They make the drugs seem harmless and essential to enjoying life. This is the wrong message that is being sent to our society. I believe we need to seriously curtail pharmaceutical companies from advertising to the general public.

The site run The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a good resource if you have a child or know an adult who may be abusing drugs.