Editorial: Prescription for Addiction.

In the most recent 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH),1 more than 1.3 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 years reported past-year nonmedical use of prescription drugs. About 70% started using in the past year, and about half report nonmedical use of prescription opioid medications. Misuse of prescription opioid medication is associated with 19 times greater risk of transitioning to heroin compared to no misuse.2 Although the national opioid crisis affects all age groups, the steepest rise in unintentional opioid overdose fatalities has been in young adults aged 18 to 25 years.2,3 More than 80% of young adult injection heroin users report that they started using prescription opioids, most during adolescence, before transitioning to heroin.3 While it is clear that the seeds of opioid addiction often begin during adolescence, there are many gaps in our knowledge and understanding of sources and predictive risk factors to guide development of more effective and targeted youth interventions.