Parents often have no idea that their teenagers have a problem with prescription drugs until their child gets arrested trying to buy or sell the pills. While it will naturally be quite a shock, it’s fairly common for young adults and teens to experiment with pills.
In fact, a national survey done in 2017 known as the “Monitoring the Future” study revealed — among other things — that over 5 percent of surveyed high school seniors used the stimulant Adderall for nonmedical purposes in the prior year.
Drugs like Adderall that are prescribed to teens and younger children for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are sometimes used by their undiagnosed peers to improve their scholastic performance and grade point averages. Few consider the perils of addiction, arrest or adverse health effects to which their misusage can lead.
Prescription medication is the number three drug of abuse for teenagers, coming behind alcohol and pot. Parents may gain some perspective on the matter by reflecting that an arrest is preferable to an overdose any day. It means that you still have the chance to help your teen or young adult turn the situation around and address their problems.
Which does not mean that anyone arrested on drug charges — whether they are teens or adults — should not fight back with both barrels. A drug conviction can slam permanent doors on life options that defendants don’t even realize that they had.
As soon as you learn of your child’s arrest, you should begin to work on their defense. A skillful Visalia criminal defense attorney can often work with the courts to defer any consequences of a drug arrest pending the defendant’s successful completion of a rehab program.
