Health
Teen years peak time for inhalant abuse
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 5, 2004
Millions of Americans are believed to abuse inhalants and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America fears those numbers may be on the upswing, particularly among young teens.
"Anytime an inhalant is used, someone's life can be snuffed out," warned Charles Curie, who heads the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Sudden death can occur on first use or with any random subsequent use, he said.
To more firmly pin down the number of people who abuse inhalants, the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition released new guidelines March 18 to be used by medical examiners to diagnose deaths from inhalants.
SAMHSA data released at the same news conference in Washington, D.C., show the peak ages for inhalant use are 14 and 15.
A sharp erosion of anti-inhalation attitudes was also tracked in a study conducted by the partnership. The group noted a drop from 68% to 48% over two years when sixth-graders were asked whether they agreed with the statement "sniffing or huffing things to get high can kill you." There was also a decline in agreement from 73% to 63% when eighth-graders responded to the same statement.
The attitudinal change should serve as a warning that the abuse of inhalants is likely to continue to increase among youngsters, said Stephen J. Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/04/05/hlbf0405.htm.
