"The greatest users were Eighth Graders...."

Synthetic drugs are starting to make a comback in the drug world and chemical dependency counseling experts have announced that teens are becoming the primary users. Synthetic drugs are cheap and still easily accessible in some states, while in others it's a felony. Addiction physiology has the story... 

"ANOKA COUNTY, MN (WCCO/CNN) – The annual survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows an alarming trend in the number of teens smoking marijuana and using synthetic drugs. 

"Don't trust it, even something coming even from a tobacco shop or a head shop. It may say it's legal, but don't trust it," said Anoka County attorney Tony Palumbo.

Palumbo sees the growing dangers of synthetic drugs first hand. 

His office was one of the first in the state to prosecute a man for a homicide case in the 2010 mass overdose of the synthetic drug 2-CE, which killed an 18-year-old and sent 11 young people to the hospital.

Once believed as a safe alternative to marijuana, synthetic drugs, such as bath salts, are becoming a growing drug choice among teenagers.

The report also shows that while alcohol and cigarette use has dropped to a 37-year low among teens, daily marijuana use is at a 30-year peak. Additionally, one in 15 high school seniors are smoking pot on a daily basis.

Dr. Gavin Bart, who heads Hennepin County Medical Center's addictive medicine division, is concerned with the growing trend and believes teens should rethink their decisions.

"I think there is this idea that since they are synthetic and maybe have some form of pharmaceutical origin, that they may be safer," Bart said. "That's absolutely not a correct assumption."

Less dangerous, but still a concern, is the growing use of energy drinks among teens. One-third of all teens consume the drinks on a daily basis.

The greatest users were eighth graders, but the report concludes that consumption is down slightly from 2010."

Source: http://www.woio.com/story/16327990/synthetic-drug-use-increasing-among-teens

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