Agency concerned about pain-drug abuse

WASHINGTON, June 19 (UPI) -- Federal officials said Monday more people began non-medical use of narcotic pain relievers in the past year than marijuana or cocaine. The report, which was released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, analyzed data from the 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and found that 2.4 million people 12 or older used prescription pain drugs for non-medical reasons compared with 2.1 million who used marijuana and 1 million who used cocaine. "While overall illicit drug use continues to decline among our young people we are always paying close attention to the data to identify any potential areas of concern," said Charles Curie, SAMHSA's administrator. "The initiation rates show we must continue our efforts help the public confront and reduce all drug abuse." The report shows that the most commonly abused drugs include Vicodin, codeine, Oxycontin and morphine.

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