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    Studies Suggest Cautious Optimism About Declines In Teen Opioid Use

    A pair of long-term studies found fewer children and teenagers are coming in contact with opioids, and that hospitalizations from the drugs are down. The same is not true for adults.
    by Tara Haelle Mar 20, 2017 4 minutes
    A pair of studies show declines in opioid use by young people, including prescription use, intentional misuse and accidental poisonings.

    In the midst of an opioid epidemic that continues to devastate families, a sliver of hope has arrived. Two long-term studies published Monday show that opioid use among teens and opioid poisonings among younger children are on the decline.

    Though it gets less press, the opioid epidemic has been hitting teens and children hard, with hospitalization rates for opioid exposures nearly doubling for teens and more than doubling for kids under 5 between 1997 and 2012. But family members' opioids are a major source for youth who use them, and opioid prescriptions have been decreasing since around 2011, reducing youth access to the drugs, noted both studies' authors.

    "It is our hope that these declines are due to, the lead author of one of the studies and a research professor at the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Center.

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