Dear teacher.

• Author: Volkow, Nora D.
• Position: Brief article

Dear Teacher:

This Heads Up installment highlights the unique one-on-one interview I had with a teen reporter on the timely issue of prescription-drug abuse.

Although overall teen drug use continues to decline, levels of prescription-drug abuse remain unacceptably high among teens, according to NIDA'S latest Monitoring the Future survey. Your students may mistakenly believe that prescription drugs are safer to abuse than illegal ones because a doctor prescribes them. While prescription drugs are beneficial when used properly, teens need to know how powerfully addictive and dangerous these medications can be when abused. They also need to know where they can get reliable, science-based answers to their questions.

My discussion with teen reporter Marie French...