• Every day in the US, 2,500 youth (12 to 17) abuse a prescription pain reliever for the first time.
• Prescription drug abuse causes the largest percentage of deaths from drug overdosing.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially declared that prescription drug abuse [1] in the United States is an epidemic.
• Approximately 5.9 million people (about 15 percent) ages 12 to 20 are binge drinkers