Teens are dying from heroin overdoses

With kids going back to school soon, there are so many things that parents have to worry about, including that their teens are safe and away from various forms of addiction. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the rate of teen drug overdose deaths in the United States is rising.

The rate of teen drug overdose deaths in the United States climbed 19% from 2014 to 2015, from 3.1 deaths per 100,000 teens to 3.7, according to the data released by the CDC.  “The huge jump in overdose deaths in 2015 occurred, in my view, due to the increase in potency of street drugs such as heroin,” says  Indra Cidambi, M.D., Medical Director, Center for Network Therapy.  Death rates for drug overdoses among those aged 15 to 19 in 2015 were highest for opioids, specifically heroin.

Drug dealers have started lacing heroin with fentanyl, which is exponentially more potent than heroin, they do this to deliver a better high and to make it more appealing to individuals abusing opiates. Another thing Dr. Cidambi thinks is leading to these numbers is the debate about legalizing marijuana because it takes the stigma away from experimenting with drugs. “Also access to drugs (of their parents or other family members) has increased as prescriptions for addictive medications, such as prescription pain pills and benzodiazepines (used to treat anxiety) have increased dramatically,” she adds.