Nine Million Abuse Prescription Drugs

October 13, 2003 Nine Million Abuse Prescription Drugs An estimated nine million people, three million abusers children between the ages of 12 and 17 years old, use prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. One key factor in this dramatic rise is the Internet. Simple and anonymous, it has contributed to what some experts are calling a national epidemic. Between 1995 and 2002, there was a 163% increase in the number of emergency-room visits tied to the abuse of prescription drugs, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  The abuse can be deadly.  Prescription drugs now . . .