In Philadelphia, Seeking Answers for Prescription Drug Abuse in Colleges
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Curbing the abuse of prescription drugs is the focus of a conference today at Temple University.
The conference brings together academics and government drug policy officials to examine prescription drug abuse among college students.
US attorney Zane Memeger opened the conference saying that Americans use prescription drugs such as oxycodone, codeine, and vicodin to get high more than cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, and inhalants combined.
And he says they can be a gateway to heroin.
"Prescription drugs, when they become too costly for someone who is addicted, they turn to heroin which they find on the street for a significantly lower price," Memeger noted.
The conference is designed to learn the extent of the prescription drug problem, and identify strategies to keep people from using drugs for non-medical purposes.