Recent research finds heroin and prescription painkiller abuse on the rise as opioids in all forms become more easily available. Across the U.S., 28,647 (61%) of all drug overdose deaths were linked to opioid use in 2014, and the Center for Disease Control reports that the opioid overdose rate has tripled since 2000 while deaths from heroin overdose have quadrupled over the past decade.
As we previously detailed, schools and universities haven't been exempt from the epidemic's effects. According to the 41st annual Monitoring the Future report, conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan and sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 5.4% of teens used narcotics other than heroin last year, including other addictive opioids like morphine, Oxycontin, Vicodin or Codeine — all of which have been cited as gateways to heroin.
But what are students' perceptions?
The nine charts below detail changes in student attitudes toward the drugs between 2012 and 2015. While the numbers remain mostly flat year-over-year, the overall percentages may surprise you.
8th grader perceptions of opioid use
8th graders see significantly less risk in using prescription painkillers than heroin.
Heroin
OxyContin
Vicodin
10th grader perceptions of opioid use
Perceptions of risk rise as students reach 10th grade.
Heroin
OxyContin
Vicodin
12th grader perceptions of opioid use
Perception of risk is relatively high across the board by the time they're seniors.