KIDS FIND HIGHS AT HOME

Gore Arrest: More Taking Rx Drugs, Sometimes From Medicine Chest

Drug abuse experts say the arrest of Al Gore's son underscores the
growing problem of prescription drug abuse among America's youth.

College students use the stimulant Adderall, an attention deficit
drug, to get a speedy high or pull all-nighters.

The other drugs police say they found in Al Gore III's possession --
marijuana, Xanax, Valium and Vicodin -- also are campus favorites, experts say.

"Al Gore's son is just like everyone else's," said Dr. Donald Misch,
director of health services at Northwestern University in Evanston.
"The only thing missing was the No. 1 abused drug, which is alcohol."

Students commonly pair pills with beer and cigarettes, experts say.

They trade tips about the effects of prescription drugs on networking
sites like Facebook and trade pills they've stolen from home medicine
cabinets, ordered on the Internet or taken from friends with
legitimate prescriptions.

Prescription drug abuse among 18- to 25-year-olds rose 17 percent
from 2002 to 2005, according to the White House drug policy office.
In 2004 and again in 2005, there were more new abusers of
prescription drugs than new users of any illicit drug.

Young people mistakenly believe prescription drugs are safer than
street drugs, doctors say. But accidental prescription drug deaths are rising.

Al Gore III, 24, was driving about 100 mph on the San Diego Freeway
when he was pulled over Wednesday. He was arrested for illegally
possessing marijuana and prescription drugs.

While a student at Harvard University, he was arrested in 2003 for
marijuana possession.

Former Vice President Al Gore said Thursday his son is getting treatment.

[Sidebar]

How To Get Rid Of Them

Federal agencies issued guidelines earlier this year for disposing of
medications:

Remove unused, unneeded or expired prescription drugs from original containers.

Mix prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, like used
coffee grounds or cat litter, and put them in impermeable,
nondescript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags.

Throw containers in the trash.

Don't flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless the
accompanying patient information says specifically it is safe to do so.