Mar 12, 2008 7:11 am US/Mountain
Parents, Students Learn About 'Pharming'
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4) ―
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The Douglas County School District held a public informational meeting about teenagers and "pharming" at Castle View High School in Castle Rock Tuesday night after two incidents in the town during the past few weeks. A former Douglas County student was there to share her experience with the dangerous and illegal practice.
Experts said every day, 2,500 children abuse a prescription pain killer for the first time. Pharming costs the students nothing and often the suppliers are unknowingly their own parents.
"It's a lot bigger than most people think," said Alexi Mueller, a 2007 graduate of Douglas County High School. "I don't think the community, parents, anybody knows the extent of how many people are using."
Mueller said she was a pharming user when in high school.
A national survey of teenagers found one in five has tried vicodin. One in 10 has tried oxycontin, ritalin or adderall. One in 11 teens admits to getting high on cough medicine.
"The scary thing is that, like if I was ever offered it, I didn't know how serious it was so I might have taken it in," said Kim Baykian, a Castle View High School student.
"The kids overdose on it," said Dr. David Avner of Sky Ridge Medical Center. "They stop breathing. They come into the emergency department because they have swollen up or passed out."
Avner said the most prevalent problem is still teenagers and alcohol, but that getting high on prescription drugs and other medicines is clearly a growing problem.
Authorities said that in most cases, possessing pain killers is the same felony crime as possessing cocaine.
"Just because it's a prescription medication doesn't mean it's any safer than using any of the other common street drugs," said Jeff Egnor of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
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