The trends among teenagers change every few years along with fashion and music. Drug use trends differ depending on the age of the teenager, the geographic area they live in and what is accessible to them. Parents often try to mitigate the threat of drug addiction with the idea that one substance is less dangerous than another. The problem with this is that there is no such thing as harmless drug use among teenagers.

The Medicine Cabinet

According to The Partnership for a Drug Free America, "Nearly one in five teens has tried prescription medication to get high" and "one in 10 teens reports abusing cough medicine to get high." What used to be harmless cold medications are now a common way for kids to get high.

Marijuana is Not Harmless

Many parents believe that marijuana 'isn't that bad' because they smoked it in their youth. But according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse , " Marijuana today is more dangerous than it was in the 60's and 70's . Some reports estimate that today's marijuana is five times the strength than it was in the 1970's while other reports estimate the strength is as high as 25 times that of earlier decades."

The Anti-Drug Campaign comments that, " Smoking marijuana leads to changes in the brain that are similar to those caused by cocaine, heroin or alcohol," and that "m ore teens are in treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence than for all other illicit drugs combined."

No Such Thing As 'Just One Drink'

Some parents believe that supervised underage drinking is harmless. The idea is that if drinking is done in their home, kids won't drink and drive or get into too much trouble. The problem with this is two-fold. The Anti-Drug Campaign points out that, " People who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who wait until age 21. Each additional year of delayed drinking onset reduces the probability of alcohol dependence by 14 percent."

And kids aren't the only ones who are hurt in this scenario. Parents, too, are harmed. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says that, " Adults who serve or supply alcohol to persons under the age of 21 can be held liable, even if they're not home when underage drinking occurs."

The best way to mitigate harm is by communicating with teenagers rather than condoning drug use.