Where is the most likely place your son or daughter could experiment with drugs? According to a new study, it’s not in some dark alley or at a wild party. It’s in your own home with prescriptions they find in your medicine cabinet.

That’s right—those are the most addicting drugs among the teen population. In a recent broadcast on Oklahoma’s Newschannel 4, a report indicated medicine cabinet drugs are more addictive than crack, cocaine, ecstasy, meth, LSD, and heroin. Nearly one in five teens admit to abusing prescriptions, and one in ten say they have overdosed on over-the-counter medicine.

Even more frightening is what the kids are able to get online. According to one expert, the raw, powdered ingredient for cough medicine is available over the Internet—and kids are abusing it.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is leading the charge in a crusade to get the word out about this new and dangerous threat. Soon, doctors, medical companies, and anti-drug advocates will be hitting the Internet and the television airwaves with information designed to get the message out to both parents and kids. But Mom and Dad, it’s up to us to be the “anti-drug” and the first line of defense in this new drug war. Be vigilant, be careful with your prescriptions, and be involved in your child’s life.

Until next time…

Kevin Ogle, a native Oklahoman, is a news anchor on Oklahoma’s NewsChannel 4. He and his wife have two teenage daughters.