The study, entitled "Monitoring the Future," found that at least one in every 20 high-school seniors has tried the powerful narcotic drug, OxyContin in the past year. The study also found that the popularity of the painkiller Vicodin remained constant, with the percentage of students using Vicodin hovering at 2.7 percent, 7.2 percent and 9.6 percent in 8th, 10th and 12th grades, respectively.
Despite the increasing levels of youth who have reported using prescription drugs, the federally-funded study did give some reason for optimism when it comes to keeping kids off drugs.
The survey of 48,025 students from 403 secondary schools reported decreased usage of marijuana, steroids, and stimulant drugs like amphetamines, although marijuana still remained the most widely used drug. Despite the popularity of MDMA, or Ecstasy, dropping significantly in the early 2000s, use of the so-called "rave" drug has begun to increase again in the upper grades.
