The use of prescription opioids remains common about adolescents, according to a nationwide analysis of data from 1976 to 2015. Among the findings, which were gleaned from the Monitoring the Future Study:

• The lifetime prevalence of medically prescribed opioids reached high points in 1989 and 2002 and remained stable until it began to drop in 2013-2015.
• 1 in 4 high school seniors said they used medical or non-medical opioids.
• Over the 40-year period measured in the study, nonmedical opioid use was found to be less prevalent and was closely associated with medical use of the drugs.
• Teens were more likely to use prescription opioids for non-medical reasons if they initially had been taking a legitimate prescription.