The study pinpoints another factor involving the accessibility of the drugs from doctors, friends, relatives, and the Internet.
The study defines prescription drug abuse as the taking of prescription drugs not prescribed for the user or use of prescription drugs taken only for the experience or feeling it causes.
After reviewing various government reports, the study cited rapidly rising rates of abuse of prescription drugs, especially among teenagers.
According to center's analysis of federal data on drug use, about 15 million people in the U.S. have abused controlled prescription drugs and the amount of abuse has gone up sharply over the past decade among all adults and even more among teens.
Many doctors and pharmacists surveyed in the study admitted they have received only limited training in prescribing drugs.
Four in 10 doctors said they received no training in medical school on prescribing controlled substances; more than one-half received no training on identifying prescription drug abuse or addiction. Three-fourths said they had no training in medical school identifying diversion of prescription drugs for illicit purposes.
Four in 10 pharmacists say they have received no instruction since pharmacy school in dispensing prescription drugs. Almost one-half said they have received no instruction since pharmacy school in identifying prescription drug abuse or diversion of prescription drugs.
The separate polls of 979 physicians and 1,030 pharmacists were conducted during the summer of 2004.
