Canuck teens pop painkillers for kicks

TORONTO - While alcohol still remains the substance of choice among Canadian teens, a new study in Ontario released Tuesday shows use of prescription painkillers is a growing cause for concern.

According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, 21 per cent of students surveyed about their drug use revealed they had tried a prescription pain medication for non-medical purposes at least once in the past year.

More than 75 per cent of teens reported getting the pills from home.

Doug Beirness, manager of research and policy for the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse said Ontario's youth opioid statistics are the first of their kind in Canada but should serve as a wake-up call across the country. An opioid is a chemical substance that has a morphine-like action in the body and is used for pain relief.
 
He said past surveys conducted nationally only asked about the opioid painkiller OxyContin and showed about one per cent of students had tried the drug.
 
"I think it sounds a warning," said Beirness. "This really is opening our eyes to a whole other area that clearly wasn't on our radar before."