Prescription overdose amongst teens is an ongoing issue. According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free Canada (PDFC) 300 thousand Canadian kids have taken prescription medication that is not prescribed for them. And 1 in 10 Canadian Teenagers have admitted taking prescription drugs to get high and 59 per cent of them say they stole the pills from home.
There has been a decline in the number of kids that have admitted taking prescription drugs. In 2015, 12 per cent of kids admitted taking prescription drugs, compared to the 20 per cent in 2009.
One of the most commonly prescription drugs that people abuse is stimulants, i.e. Adderall. Stimulant drugs are prescribed to people who have ADHD.
One person I talked to, requested that his name be disclosed, his alias his Base Monkey. Monkey has taken adderall several times. He says that it started out as a drug to help him study, but he ended up doing adderall more to get high.
He says that buying adderall is quite expensive, as it costs $20.00 for one pill. The pill ranges from 20 to 40 milligrams.
According to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), Canada is the second largest per capita consumer of prescription opioids.