What are Passive Pushers?
A parent of a teen leaves for a business trip. The pizza money and emergency numbers are on the table, and the liquor cabinet is locked. But unless Mom or Dad secures the medicine cabinet, too, he or she may become a “passive pusher.” More than one-third of teenagers get their drugs at home, from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, according to the National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA). Passive pushers are parents who let this happen. They are enabling parents who passively allow their teens to abuse prescription medications in the convenience of their own home or school. It’s generally said to be easier for a child to access prescription medications than a can of beer. Of the more than 1,000 teenagers surveyed by CASA, 19 percent said prescription medications were the easiest controlled substance to access. These include the painkillers OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet; Ritalin, prescribed for Attention Deficit Disorder, fatigue and narcolepsy; and Xanax, prescribed
