Teens say drugs easier to get than beer

NEW YORK, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Teens say that getting prescription drugs are easier than getting a beer, a U.S. survey indicates.

The survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York said some parents are enabling their kids to use and abuse drugs by not monitoring their social activities, prescription drugs and addressing the problem of drugs in school.

The CASA study also said:

-- 46 percent of teens say they leave their house to hang out with friends on school nights, but 14 percent of parents say their teens leave.

-- The number of teens who say prescription drugs are easiest to buy rose 46 percent since 2007.

When teens who know prescription drug abusers were asked where those kids get their drugs: 31 percent said from friends or classmates; 34 percent said from home, parents or the medicine cabinet; 16 percent said other; and 9 percent said from a drug dealer.

QEV Analytics conducted the telephone survey of 1,002 teens ages 12 to 17 from April 3 to May 13 and 312 parents April 17 to June 3. The margin of error is plus/minus 3.1 percentage points for teens and 5.5 percentage points for parents.