Talk to your children about drugs

I just read the article in The Desert Advocate newspaper about Cactus Shadows students arrested on felony drug charges. I am a Cave Creek resident and graduate of Cactus Shadows High School–and now work for The Partnership for a Drug‑Free America.

While it is alarming to see this current incident, the average age of first time drug use in Arizona is 13. Here are a few stats on prescription drug use:

· In the past year, 1 in 5 teens have tried prescription drugs to get high.

· Vicodin is one of the top five drugs used by 12th‑graders in the past year.

· Annual new users of prescription drugs now outnumber new users of marijuana.

Research shows that if parents talk to their kids about drugs–those children are 50 percent less likely to try drugs.

Thank you for the exposure on this issue. Hopefully it will get some parents talking with their children.

Colleen Pyra
Consultant – Community Alliance Program
The Partnership for a Drug‑Free America,
Arizona Chapter