One  in 5 U.S. high school students say they have ever taken a prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin, or Xanax, without a doctor’s prescription. This is the first year the survey assessed prescription drug abuse among high school students.

The 2009 YRBS shows that many high school students engage in risk behaviors that are harmful to their overall health and increase their risk of disease and injury, according to the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey has been conducted every other year since 1991. >> learn more