Use of Ephedra among Rural-Dwelling U.S. Adolescents

Prior to 2004, ephedra had been readily available to adolescents. Due to reports that use of ephedra produced a number of serious adverse consequences, including death, sales of the compound became illegal in the United States on April 12, 2004. Data are presented from a random sample of 156,050 stu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Substance use & misuse 2007-01, Vol.42 (6), p.949-959
Main Authors: Henry, Kimberly L., Edwards, Ruth W., Oetting, Eugene R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Biological and medical sciences
Community Drug and Alcohol Survey
Drug Abuse
Drug addiction
drug use
Ephedra
ephedrine
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Prevalence
Psychoanalysis
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
rural
Rural areas
Rural Communities
Rural Population - statistics & numerical data
Stimulants
Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Toxicology
United States - epidemiology
United States of America
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Summary:Prior to 2004, ephedra had been readily available to adolescents. Due to reports that use of ephedra produced a number of serious adverse consequences, including death, sales of the compound became illegal in the United States on April 12, 2004. Data are presented from a random sample of 156,050 students in grades 7 through 12 from 185 rural communities across the United States who completed the Community Drug and Alcohol Survey. This study provides a valuable epidemiological benchmark of reported rates of lifetime prevalence of ephedra by adolescents living in rural America before the sale of the drug became illegal (data were collected between 1996 and 2001). While there were small regional, racial, and gender differences, rates of adolescent use were, in general, very low. The highest rates of ephedra use were found among youth using other drugs, particularly stimulants. The study's limitations and implications are discussed.
ISSN:1082-6084
1532-2491
DOI:10.1080/10826080701212436