who does drug abuse affect mostly between teens, adults and the elderly?

Question by chante t: who does drug abuse affect mostly between teens, adults and the elderly?
i need an answer to my question for homework asap some one please respond quickly

Best answer:

Answer by Brian
Drug abuse effects us all. The age groups who have the highest incidence of illicit drug use are 18-25 at 55.6% and 26-34 at 53.3%.

This information is provided by the National Drug Control Policy Information Clearinghouse. One thing about this is that it doesn’t include prescription drugs the incidence of prescription drugs.

Persons 65 years of age and above comprise only 13 percent of the population, yet account for approximately one-third of all medications prescribed in the United States. Older patients are more likely to be prescribed long-term and multiple prescriptions, which could lead to unintentional misuse.

The elderly also are at risk for prescription drug abuse, in which they intentionally take medications that are not medically necessary. In addition to prescription medications, a large percentage of older adults also use OTC medicines and dietary supplements. Because of their high rates of comorbid illnesses, changes in drug metabolism with age, and the potential for drug interactions, prescription and OTC drug abuse and misuse can have more adverse health consequences among the elderly than are likely to be seen in a younger population.

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